Maui is Green. Utah is Grey.

Sunset in Ka'anapali


The perfect ending to the day.



The Olivine pools on the Northern Shore of Maui.

Interesting lava rock formations on the north side.

The Nakalele Blowhole on the north side.

Wailua Falls right off the Hana Highway.

Seven Sacred Pools or the 'Ohe'o Gulch. The runoff was too high to swim in.

The Three Bears (or Waikani) waterfall on the Hana highway.

Watching the surfers and wind surfers at the Ho'okipa lookout just past Pa'ia on the east side of Maui.

Does it look like we had fun? So relaxing to just sit on the beach at sunset or watching the whales from our lounge chair. A hammock on the beach. A ring around the moon. Hiking along waterfalls, to the shoreline, through the rainforest. Swimming in pools just off the shore and watching the wrath of the sea just on the other side of the rocks. Riding in the convertible with the wind blowing your hair. So warm! Smoothies by the pool. Sea turtles in a cove. Lava rocks to climb on. Flowers in my hair. Snorkeling in the ocean. No kids to worry about. I didn't want to leave. I actually cried when I got in the car at the Salt Lake airport. We were home and it is so GREY! Last time we went to Maui, I was pregnant with Maren. So I didn't want to do anything that might be bad for the baby. This time was a dream! Perfect! Every January should be Hawaii...but next time, 2 weeks...

Good Things

For Christmas, Santa brought me a trip to Hawaii. So I'm packing even as I type. Andrew also received a nice present. A blue ray player and a friend who gets him discount Disney DVD's. Josh has a new electric blanket which he thinks is the "most awesome thing ever!" Tim has a new weapon...an AirZooka gun which shoots air instead of ammo. He loves torturing the cats with it. Maren has a new Wii game and lots of Crayola drawing stuff. It keeps her busy. And Emma has a new digital camera and won't stop taking pictures of herself!! All in all, a very nice Christmas. And my next entry will be all about my trip to Maui. Ooh, can't wait!!

Ow! Ow! Ow! My Coccyx!

I slipped on the driveway this morning and I landed on my tail bone. I heard and felt a crack or snap. I'm in pain. Here's how it went...it could have been way worse...
Of course it snowed. I had to work this morning at 10:00 a.m. We also had the ward Christmas breakfast at 9:00 a.m. So Andrew shoveled and then parked my car at the bottom of the driveway because the snow was coming down fast. I started down the driveway and got about halfway down and realized I forgot my cell phone in the kitchen. So I ran back up, got the phone and semi-ran down again. I slipped almost at the bottom of the driveway and fell, heard a snap and screamed in pain! The real problem was that Andrew was driving down in the Pilot and almost ran me over. I had to do a combat roll over the curb, into the snow to avoid being hit by the car. Luckily, he saw me and stopped into the curb to avoid sliding down the driveway until I could get up and move. Another lucky thing is that my cell phone had fallen out of my bag and was laying in the path of the tires. That would've been bad, too!!
We made it to the breakfast and then I went to work, in pain, and did 5 haircuts. Now, I'm in massive pain and taking Ibuprofen. My doctor (Ashley) told me to sit on a doughnut cushion and call her if my symptoms change. (She called me from Disneyland, by the way! I'd much rather be there!!! Lines and all!)
This might actually be a good thing in the long run... I'd been having mild pain in the tail bone area since ice blocking in the summer... I think I fixed that problem!!
Thanks for listening

The Highlight of my Week

#5...Seeing Twilight with my honey. I liked it a lot. Didn't think I'd like Mr. Patterson as Edward but he grew on me. But he's only 22 years old so it wouldn't work out for us...
#4...Finding a pair of jeans that actually fit. J.Jill of course. Tried on 5 pairs at Old Navy-nothing. Tried on 1 pair at J.Jill-perfect!
#3...Lost 4 lbs since forever. I'm officially at my lowest weight since 1991. Holy Cow!
#2...The cops busting us at Thanksgiving dinner because someone in the group dialed 911. We are such a rowdy bunch!
#1...I finally finished my quilt top from my Quilt Block of the Month Club!!! 10 months of my life with only blue and white fabric and thread...I'm free!!!

The Reason I Called This Meeting Is...

Just a couple of things on my mind. First, just a reminder of the season we are about to enter. If you have a hair appt. with me and you are sick, think you may be getting sick or are getting over being sick and you think that getting your hair done will make you feel better...let's reschedule. I do not want to get sick and bring it home to my family. Sorry. It happens every year and last year I even had 2 people come in with pneumonia! Go home and get better. Thank You.
Also, if I call you and tell you that I can't make my appt. with you because I am stuck in my driveway due to snow... I am not making that up to get out of coming in to work. My driveway is legendary up here and all my neighbors sympathize with me. Last year I had a client not believe my story because she lives in Riverton and didn't get any snow so how could I have that much snow? Lake effect. Believe me. Thank you again.
Now that I have that off my chest, a gentle reminder to make your holiday hair appts early because I have children that have holiday recitals and the time slots go fast this time of year anyway! And maybe I'll actually be invited to a party this year...probably not.
Thank you for understanding and lets have a great season!! Go Team!!

A Learning Vacation

We went to Williamsburg, Virginia for our family vacation over UEA. We had a great time in Busch Gardens riding roller coasters and having some Halloween spookiness. We went into Colonial Williamsburg and soaked up some history and enjoyed the feeling of colonial times. We drove down to Virginia Beach and played in the sand and rode a couple of bikes around the boardwalk. We took the commuter train into Washington D.C. and did a lot of walking and picture taking of our national monuments. We hit a deer on the parkway and had to trade in our rental car...awaiting the insurance phonecall. Took a ghost tour of Williamsburg in the rain. Swimming and eating and playing at the resort. We didn't want to come home.

I need a toolbelt!

Andrew told me that I haven't updated in a while so here goes. (WARNING: this may tell you how extremely tedious my life actually is)

We've been cutting down trees along the driveway so that maybe the sun can warm up the ice in the winter and we won't slide down. Then I had to cut it into 5 foot lengths and BUNDLE them for the trash pickup pile. Ooooh, I know how to party!

Then I've been scraping and painting the railings on our stairs. I hate the railings on our stairs. 13 cans of spray paint! And that's only the finishing color. I hand painted them with primer! Never again. Next time I take a sledgehammer to the stairs!! They're so ugly they remind me of an apartment building. They were white and rusty before and now they're "almond".

And sraping and sanding a pulling out old grout from the windows and around the garage doors. I hate old grout. Then painting and regrouting. The old color was white. New color, hot chocolate brown. The only thing that still needs to be done is the front door. But with the cold weather coming in fast, it might have to wait 'til spring.

The good news is the front of my house looks SO NICE and FRESH! The bad news is I've broken four nails! Is it really worth it?