Hawaiian Paradise: Day 8 and after

On Friday, we packed up, played a couple games, and headed to the airport.  It was bitter sweet.  We were all excited to see our kids again, but leaving Hawaii was very difficult to do.  It truly is paradise.  I'm know my sister sometimes has to pinch herself to make sure she's not dreaming, and she's been there for 8 years. 

We loved our trip.  All of it.  It was incredible and so wonderful to be there with family.  Thank you mom and dad for taking us all! 

Our trip home was not devoid of glitches, but in the end it all worked out and we were reunited with our girls.  It was so good to hold them again and see their excitement.  After we got home and started settling into life again, we discovered that our absence had been very difficult for Avery.  She started wetting and messing her pants a few times a day, which lasted for about a week.  I'm sure it was scary for her not knowing where we were or if we were coming back.  She was extra clingy for a few days, but she seems to have gotten over it well.

My mom was able to stay with us an extra day, for which I am SO grateful!  On Sunday night, she noticed my eyes were really red, which I figured was just tiredness.  When I woke up the next day, my eyes burned.  In fact, they hurt so much during the night that I couldn't sleep.  I had to get up in the night to put drops in because they felt like sandpaper.  They hurt open and they hurt closed, so I just tried to find sleep somehow.  As I drove Keara to school, I couldn't even open my eyes.  It was the most dangerous drive I've ever been on.  My eyes burned so badly.  They felt horrible but I couldn't find relief.  Opened or closed, it was agony. 

Miraculously, I made it home and told my mom what was going on.  I went straight back to bed because any light burned so badly.  I had to be in the dark and I tried to find some sort of relief while she took care of the girls.  Unfortunately, she had an airplane to catch and I was supposed to take her.  Oh no!  There was no way I could drive 1 1/2 hours each way, when I couldn't even open my eyes for a second.  She is amazing and called an airport shuttle AND WALKED 3 miles to the pick up spot.  I felt horrible that she did that (thankfully, Braden got home and picked her up a few blocks from the pick up spot, so at least I felt better knowing she had made it).  She's wonder woman!

I went to the doctor that afternoon and he found I had keratitis...a staph infection caused by contacts.  I cannot tell you how grateful I am that this did not happen while we were in Hawaii.  I can't imagine.  Truly, if you can imagine how it would feel if someone pried your eyes open, forced you to stare at the sun for an hour, all the while rubbing your eyes with sandpaper...that's exactly what it felt like.  All light, but especially sunlight, was excrutiating.  I got on an antibiotic which brought swift relief.  By the next morning, the sandpaper feeling was gone.  But it took about a week before the light sensitivity went away.  It still is a little sensitive, but nothing like it was.  I also had to get a new prescription, and I can't wear contacts yet.  So I've been in glasses for 2 weeks, which is nice for a change, but also dizzying.  I'm not quite used to them still.

And so our Hawaiian Adventure ended.  It was the trip of a life time and the memories are so sweet.  Thanks for joining us on our journey!!

Hawaiian Paradise: Day 7

Girls! We all made it! We're coming home tomorrow!

This morning, daddy decided to jump out of an airplane and sky dive. I was nervous for him to do that, but we prayed about it and felt that it would be okay. So, he got a parachute on and went up in a small airplane with grandpa and aunt Laurie. He got some awesome pictures while he was jumping, so you'll get to see them. He said he loved it and it wasn't even scary! I would have been scared. I'm so very grateful that everything went well and he's okay.

He wore an appropriate shirt for the day...

The strangest part was that he jumped straight thru a cloud.  When he got to the ground, he was wet!  He said it was very cold in the cloud.

 Our view from the group...can you see those tiny specks in these next few pics?  Those are the first of the divers to appear out of the cloud.

 

He looks SO happy here.

Three crazies, living off a high

After skydiving, we went out for another shave ice. I got mango passion fruit again (called lilikoi in hawaiian) and it was SO SO SO good! I loved it! Maybe we can make some for you when we get home. Yum!

After that, we all went to a beach near Goat Island. It was INCREDIBLE! The sand was soft, there was no coral in the water, no fish, and AWESOME waves! Just what daddy was hoping for. It was so much fun. We boogy boarded (which means we were riding on the waves on a foam board) for a long, long time. 

having ridden the wave all the way in

getting slammed

fun wall of water!

I love my curly gurly

 Uncle Nicho rented a surf board and let everyone try surfing. Daddy and I were both able to try it out. I even got up 3 times! (Though nobody saw the first one, and only Daddy and Amanda saw the next two, so no one believes me...) It was so fun.  Though Nicho got stung by a man-o-war, which is like a jelly fish.  It really hurt, apparently.

showing everyone where the man-o-war wrapped around his arm

check out that unassuming yet painful tentacle

Daddy liked playing on the beach with the crabs with Amanda.  Crabs really do walk sideways and look very sneaky!  They dig holes in the sand and come out of them, push out some sand, look around, and then run back into their holes. 

We had a great time, one of our favorite parts of the trip.  Then we came home and got all cleaned up.  Heidi and her family came over for dinner, which was really nice.  We love spending time with them!  Aunt Laurie and Uncle Ben bought sushi and curry, Grandma got a rotisserie chicken, Uncle Nicho cooked up the fish Nate caught the other day when they went spear fishing, Heidi brought Broccoli Soup, and daddy and I put together mangos, bananas, and pineapple.  Yummy dinner!!

and apparently someone took a picture of me.  Here's proof I was there!

Now we are exhausted and ready for bed.  We love you and are so excited to see you tomorrow! 
Mom and Dad

Hawaiian Paradise: Day 6

Today was a good, long day.  In the morning, we headed over to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium for some shopping.  We were there for about 2 hours.  There were places to buy clothes, statues, carved wood, jewelry, hair flowers, swimsuits, and a lot of food.  We tried things like mango jam, coconut macaroons, and hawaiian bread.  In fact, the people selling the hawaiian bread played a little game with me.  They told me to name 5 words that started with K in 5 seconds.  Too bad I couldn't use any names!  But even without saying "Keara" I still won a free loaf of bread.  Daddy and I found some things we're excited to share with you.

After the swap meet, we went out for lunch at a place called Dukes in Waikiki.  It was DELICIOUS!  I got mango barbecue baby back ribs and daddy got a mango barbecue bacon cheese burger.  It was so yummy.  Then, we got a macadamia, fudge, ice cream dessert.  YUM! 

After lunch, we all headed to a place for a hike to a waterfall.  It was a good hike, thru streams, in the rain forest, to a pretty waterfall.  My favorite part was being with daddy.  And seeing the views from the peak. 

Nicho found this awesome bird of paradise which smelled AMAZING.  And this is also the only picture where I will ever appear taller than Stace, who is pushing 6 ft.

These palm trees were HUGE and so beautiful!  Their perfect branches cast these awesome star shadows on the ground.

Not one of us, but this crazy guy jumped from way high up into the pool below, which is reportedly only 10 feet deep...in one specific area.  Only the bravest (and those who know where that spot is) jump.

I don't know why these wouldn't rotate, but Stace, Nicho, and Laurie went further on a crazy little jaunt, across a pipe suspended above the valley...

and then a rickety old bridge like you only see in movies.

We got home late in the evening and just crashed.  We were SO tired when we got home!

We love you!  We'll see you soon!

Love,
Mom and Dad

On a side note, I really do love Braden's family.  We had such a great time with them and days like this, where we were all together, were really special to us.  We've been married almost 8 years and I still feel very much like an outsider in the family, and very much misunderstood.  I don't think anyone in his family really knows me at all, and I guess that's my fault.  When we first got married, we all started off on such a bad foot that I've been trying for the past 8 years to backpedal and undo all the damage I caused.  I wish I could take it all back and just start over.  I wish I felt secure and loved and appreciated and understood and KNOWN in his family.  Maybe in another 8 years.  But maybe not.  When we're one on one with his family, I feel like we come miles forward in relationships, but then when we're all together, I feel so insecure that I just clam up and become very quiet.  Not helpful, I know.  I watch all of them have so much fun together and wish I could participate.  It's so not like me to sit back, but I don't feel welcome to be a part.  Being on this trip was so fantastic to be able to spend 8 days together, with just the brothers and sisters.  I love them all so very much and wish we could spend more time together.  His oldest sister, Laurie, is an inspiration to me and I lean on her wisdom and experience so much.  I absolutely adore her.  Her husband is a mover and a shaker and has incredible faith.  His other sister, Stacey, is the strongest person I've ever met.  I am amazed by her constancy.  She is giving, selfless, and full of love.  I appreciate her example and love her dearly.  Her husband is a riot and I wish we could just spend weeks with him.  He is so much fun and I want to know him better.  Braden's brother, Robb, and his wife have always been very good friends of ours.  In many ways, our relationship has suffered over the past couple years, but I don't really know why.  I wish I did.  But we love them and are so proud of them and the choices they have made in the past couple years.  They are a great example of love for each other.  I'm so grateful that his parents shared this experience with us.  They love their family and truly let each of us know it.  Braden's mom is such a loving, kind person and I appreciate her example of grace.  His dad is so easy going and roll-flow.  It was fun to see other sides of him this trip.  I am grateful for Braden most of all.  Just as I don't feel known in his family, I know my family doesn't know him.  He is quiet and reserved, which may give the impression of uninterested, which couldn't be further from the truth.  I stand in awe every day by the things he teaches me, the example he is to me, the amazing father he is to our girls, the undying patience he has with living with 5 girls.  He is gentle, respectful, forgiving, loving, and oh, so good.  I love him dearly.  I am truly blessed.