Aloha 'Oe

There are a whole range of feelings you go through when you come home from a vacation.  Maybe you feel like you've been gone too long, or the trip didn't turn out as fun as you expected.  Perhaps you are anxious to get back to a regular routine, or people/projects are waiting for you to get back.  Possibly, you've all been in too close quarters for too long, and you need some space from each other.  Coming home from this vacation was none of those.  In fact, I don't think anybody wanted to come home at all.  It is fairly miraculous that with this many people together on a trip, all having to work out activities, meals, naps, babysitting, date nights, shopping trips, etc., and all with various and sundry "personnel" combinations, there have been no fights, no disappointments, no injuries (!), and only a few minor meltdowns (nobody's perfect). :)  On the contrary, this trip has been so perfect it's hard to believe we actually pulled it off.  So much great time together, so many fun activities, and so many priceless memories -- everybody should get to come on a family vacation like this.  It's not just that we're in Maui either (although that certainly helps).  I am so blessed to have such an amazing (extended) family -- we could go just about anywhere and do just about anything, and just being together we would have a blast.

That's probably enough waxing philosophical for the time being. Because today was the last day, we all got together for breakfast in Amy and Scott's room and brought all the food we had left. It was quite a production in the kitchen, and aside from me usurping egg duty from Brett, everything went very smoothly. Maybe we'll open our own short order kitchen/comedy hour sometime. :) After breakfast we finished packing, checked out, piled into the cars and headed to. . .the Sugar Cane Train! Ironically, this is the first time that we have all gone together as a group. The really neat thing about this time on the Train was that Uncle Terry (the conductor), with whom we are practically on a first name basis, spent a lot of extra time on our car telling us some very cool stories that are not part of the regular script. At the half-way point he jumped off and picked some neat native fruit for us to try, and he told us the story of the origin of the "Shaka" (the Hang Loose sign).


After the train, we had a nice little road trip to Kihei -- a quiet area around the island that is one of Grandpa Ed's favorite places to stay on Maui. We stopped at a McDonald's for bathroom breaks and the girls ventured to a little craft market next door. Then it was on to Kahului for more shopping. I stayed in the car with the boys, and although it wasn't a hot day, it wasn't very cool either. Joshua was especially uncomfortable, so we used his blanket and constructed a makeshift lean-to over his car seat.


Our flight out didn't leave until 9:50 pm, so with plenty of time still to kill, our next stop was the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center -- basically a giant mall not far from the Kahului Airport. We did a lap or so looking for the children's play area, but no luck. Apparently one is under construction -- we'll have to wait until next time to play there. Even though there were plenty of shops to browse, we really didn't spend much time in them. In the center of the mall on the ground floor is a large statue of Queen Ka'ahumanu by a nice pool, and the kids all congregated to look for fish. Grandma-ma was right there handing out pennies for the kids to make wishes. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Grandma-ma or the kids!


After dinner at the food court it was finally time to make our way to the airport. The guys dropped off the women and children at the terminal and then we proceeded to turn in the cars. The terminal is not particularly comfortable, but there was enough space for the kids to sit, or read, or wander a little. And of course there were enough adults to rotate around as well. Between games, laps, and DVD players, we had everyone covered.


Finally, we gathered the kids and the carry-ons, and boarded the plane. Because the flight was so late at night, we counted on everyone sleeping most of the time. Sleeping on a plane is not the most comfortable, but that didn't seem to get in the way.


According to Wikipedia, Aloha 'Oe was written by Queen Liliʻuokalani after watching a farewell embrace between Colonel James Boyd and a young Hawaiian ranch girl. One of the verses is goes like this:

Sweet memories come back to me
Bringing fresh remembrances
Of the past
Dearest one, yes, you are mine own
From you, true love shall never depart
I still can't believe that we have been so blessed to spend so much time in this beautiful, magical place. Mom and Dad have pulled out all the stops to make this an amazing vacation for all of us. Being with my family is my favorite way to spend my time, and this time together has been absolutely perfect. Hopefully we can take a little piece of paradise with us.


And so, aloha 'oe, until we meet again.

I'm Ready for My Closeup

I can't believe our Hawaiian excursion is almost at an end. We've done and seen so much, and had a fantastic time together as a family. I'm glad we get to ignore reality for just a little bit longer. A few of us (Brett, Stephanie, Scott, Chris, Dad, and I) headed out early for the final snorkel trip of 2008, down at Airport Beach. The water was calm above and clear below, and there were tons of fish around. No turtles this time, but we did see another Crown of Thorns starfish. Dad brought a digital camera (enclosed in a waterproof case, or course), and we took turns trying to get good shots. It turns out that taking pictures while you snorkel and free dive is a lot harder than while you're scuba diving. You have to dive down to the right depth, equalizing the pressure in your ears as you go, try to stay down and level while you frame the shot, and then take it. Oh yeah, and hold your breath! One of these days I'll get the hang of it.

When we got back we found everyone at the pool again. It's so fun to watch all the kids together. Sometimes they're playing together, and sometimes they're in their own little world, but they all had a great time. I didn't get back in the water, but instead took some time to snap photos of as many plants, flowers, and scenery as I could. Jennifer decided a little while ago she wanted a (mildly) tropical theme in our bedroom, and part of that was getting some good photos we could blow up and hang on the wall. We've kept it in the back of our mind as we've been out and about, but since we're leaving tomorrow, I thought I would make sure we had plenty to choose from.

We couldn't get Joshua to take a nap after lunch, and Jennifer wanted to do a little more shopping, so I took Nathan and Joshua for a ride on the Sugar Cane Train, and Benjamin went with Jennifer. I'm not sure what the staff, or more especially Uncle Terry, the Conductor, thinkwhen they sees us coming, but we have thoroughly enjoyed the train this trip. We know all the stories, factoids, and anecdotes by heart, but it is such a relaxing ride, and you really feel the spirit of the island. It's also a great way to calm the boys down and kill some time.

Dinner tonight was Pizza Hut in the small BBQ area outside the North tower. The only catch was the trade winds, and boy did they blow! The only sheltered spot was between the little cabana and the building, so we stuck all the kids there while the adults ate at the tables and tried to hold onto the plates. Just a soon as we could, we got everyone back upstairs. The good news -- plenty of leftover pizza! We should have guessed that with Amy and Scott in charge of the sand castle contest, they wouldn't stop with just building sand castles. Amy made nice little awards for the kids for all their hard work and creativity, and tonight was the awards ceremony. Needless to say, the "Sandy Awards" were a great success.

Next it was on to the main event. Chris and Cassi's activity was an audio/visual scavenger hunt, where each family had to submit one entry for each letter of the alphabet. They took each entry and scored them from 1 to 3. You got one point just for submitting something; two points if your entry was different from everyone else's; and one entry from each letter earned a bonus point for being the one Chris and Cassi liked the best. Chris then took all the photos/movie clips and compiled them into a video, complete with an intro, soundtrack, special effects, point totals, and credits. I don't know how long he spent on it, but it was fantastic. Big kudos to Chris and Cassi for planning ahead and working so hard on it. Just one more thing to make this vacation extra special.

A day like today just couldn't end without a farewell trip to Haagan Dazs for dessert, so off we went. It's a good thing we've spent to much time swimming, riding, surfing, walking, etc., otherwise we all would have gained more than a bit of weight. But dessert at Haagan Dazs is just so good. :)

I have to admit that I wasn't very much help packing when we got back and put the kids down. Maybe I just can't admit that we're going home tomorrow, or maybe I just didn't want to. I usually do my best packing in the morning anyway. :)

Just Another Day In . . .

With a vacation as packed with fun and adventure as this has been, you have to build in some down time, and that's just what today was.  We took the kids to the beach in the morning, but devoted most of the day to pool time.  Today was another one of those lucky days where most of the families ended up in the same body of water at the same time.  Even with so many little ones, there have always been plenty of adults around, so some stay in the water, some relax and visit, and some even get to read or nap!

All of our boys have improved their swimming skills over the last week and a half.  Benjamin will even ask to take his water wings off from time to time.  Nathan has been by far the hardest worker.  His latest craze is free diving.  Well, as much as you can free dive in a 6-foot-deep swimming pool.  He and I will play games to see how deep he can dive, how fast he can dive down to the whale at the bottom, or how long he can stay down at the bottom.  I'm really proud of his determination.

Not only have the kids gotten to hang out with cousins they don't get to see much, but they've also gotten to be with aunts and uncles too.  All of them have especially had a good time with Uncle Chase.  Maybe it's just because he's the youngest (and therefore in the best shape and has the most energy), but they've all gravitated towards him, and he's been great.  Other times when the whole family gets together, I feel like I spend so much time keeping my own kids in order I don't get to interact much with the other nieces and nephews.  I'm really glad that hasn't been as much of an issue this trip.

Dinner tonight was the Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina.  Again, practically on the beach, and amazing views.  Even if you're not a Hard Rock Cafe fan, this one is a lot of fun.  Quick story about my dinner:  There is a section called "Legendary Burgers", and one of them is call the S.O.B. Burger.  It's got all kinds of spices, jack cheese, guacamole, grilled onions, etc.  Now there are several phrases that fit the acronym "SOB", and as this was the HRC, I assumed it was one that needed to be abbreviated.  When they brought the food out, they kept asking who had the "South of the Border" burger, and I kept looking around thinking, "Hmm, that one sounds interesting."  It was a good 15 seconds before I connected the dots and realized "SOB" was South of the Border.  I've got a fairly high threshold for spicy food, having grown up in Arizona and served a mission in Mexico.  This burger, however, was something else entirely.  Maybe I got an extra spicy batch of the Chipotle puree -- I don't know, but it was so hot I almost couldn't get through it.  Thank goodness we ordered ice cream for dessert!

We ended the night shopping up and down Front Street, including a trip to Bubba Gump's gift shop.  Grandma and Grandpa had promised all the kids a souvenir T-shirt, so tonight was the night.  The youngest two got "I Survived the Road to Hana" shirts, and Nathan picked out a shirt with a cartoon pirate skull with "Maui" beneath it.  Even though neither his mother nor grandmother thought that was a particularly great choice, we are on vacation, and it was his choice, so I backed him up.  Maybe I'm not such a mean dad after all!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Months before we came on this trip, Mom and Dad worked out a schedule of activities and it was up to each family to pick which ones to be in charge of. Today was the immensely popular sandcastle building contest, with Amy and Scott in charge. The rules have changed over the years to accommodate growing numbers of younger participants, and it has become one of their favorite activities. It should be noted that we don't usually build actual castles. Depending on the ages of each team, it could be a structure, a shape, and animal, etc. This year was sea creatures; specifically a whale, starfish, and turtle. I must admit that I tend to get caught up in the design and construction of our assigned project, and sometimes that means that the younger members of the team are delegated the tasks of digging trenches, fetching ocean water, or searching for seashells. But I think I'm getting better at handing out more "exciting" assignments. The kids were especially involved in decorating the turtle shell, and it turned out great.


Even though we should know better, we always seem to build our creations within reach of the largest waves. The vast majority of waves don't come close, but there are always those few that try to spoil our fun. Why do we build so close to the shore? That's where the best sand is. :) That said, one of the first things we do during the sandcastle contest is construct a defensive ditch in front of our construction site. The youngest of the helpers usually enjoy that task because they it's simple and they can do it by themselves. They also think it's cool when a big enough wave comes a long and actually flows into their ditch. The ditch isn't visible in the picture, but it saved our creation more than once.


Sandcastle construction was followed by beach time. We haven't done a great job lining up our boys' schedule with the other cousins, so they've spent a lot of time playing and swimming mostly on their own. But today the gang was altogether, and they had a blast.  One of their favorite things to do is wade out into the water, a little less than waist deep, wait for the waves to come in, and then sprint (as much as you can sprint on shifting underwater sand) up to the beach, laughing the whole way.  My favorite part is watching them laughing and having so much fun in this beautiful place.


After getting cleaned up, it was time for an early dinner at Cheeseburge in Paradise.  This is one of Grandpa Ed's favorite places to eat on Maui, and for a good reason.  It's a nice laid back two-story restaurant on the ocean side of Front Street with good music, nice atmosphere, and excellent food.  The novelty here (for the kids anyway) is the fruit smoothy.  The kids always love smoothies, but this one comes in a large plastic pineapple that they can use as a little bank afterward.  Our group is big enough that we were spread out across many tables.  Chris, Cassi, Grandma-ma and I were at a table by the window on the Front Street side.  The kids were back and forth between parents, but everybody was well behaved, and we had a very nice conversation.  Every dinner on the island is memorable, but this place is always one of my favorites.

Of SCUBA and Seafood

If the only thing we got to do while in the Islands was scuba dive, it would still be well worth it. We have had so much fun this trip, but diving is always my favorite part. Part of it may be that it the guys' chance to hang out together for a while, but mostly it's because we get to go, do, and see what most people never get to. Some people may look at the tank, mask, vest, weights, etc., and think "How cumbersome and awkward that must feel." Quite to the contrary, scuba diving for me is very liberating. I practically grew up in the water, so the ability to freely move in any direction for as long as you want almost makes you feel like you're flying. On top of all that, the scenery simply can't be beat. Today definitely did not disappoint.

Before going on, there is one thing I should get out of the way. None of us ever get seasick -- except for today. I'm not sure what it was, but something about waves and the wind and the boat (powered by 100% recycled vegetable oil) just didn't sit well with us. I won't name names, but some of us were only mildly bothered while others spent quite some time hanging over the side of the boat. Ironically enough, as soon as we got into the water, everybody was just fine.

Our first dive was just off the coast of Lana'i at a place called Sweetheart Rocks. About 60 feet below the surface is a large dome shaped cave called "The Cathedral". It is so named because a large rock settled close to the center, and there are several openings in the sides that let light from the surface stream in, giving the illusion of an alter surrounded by stained-glass windows. It was amazing inside, and because of the dark nooks and shelves we saw several types of nocturnal fish.

The marine life in and around the Cathedral was nothing short of amazing -- I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The second dive was called "Sergeant Major" because of the preponderance of Sergeant Major and Soldier fish. But the best part of that dive actually happened while we were getting in the water. While the first group of divers geared up and got ready to enter the water, we saw several slick, shiny fins out ahead of the boat. Dolphins! And not just one or two, but and entire pod of dolphins -- there were easily 25 of the them. They swam about 50 yards off the bow, circled, and came back around for another look. Brett and Chris got some good photos and video, and then it was our turn to gear up and get in. Fortunately for us, the dolphins decided to hang so we could see them underwater. Now, I've seen octopus, lobster, turtles, and even a shark or two while diving, but a close-up underwater view of so many dolphins was just unbelievable. We could have gotten back on the boat right then, and it still would have been a fantastic dive.

After we got back it was pool/beach time, and then the girls went out for their favorite meal of the trip: Mama's Fish house. Apparently on the menu each day they not only tell you where on the island the fish was caught, but also what time that day! Again, a picture is worth a thousand words!