Hawaii~Getting There

On Saturday, Feb. 27th, we drove down to Anchorage to catch a military hop to California. We went got to the terminal we found out that they had cancelled the flight. We hung around Anchorage for a few days (while they cancelled more flights) until Wednesday when we caught a flight to McChord AFB, near Seattle, Washington.Curtis' sister, Amanda and her family live near McChord. It was great to get to see them and stay a couple days. The boys LOVED seeing their cousins again.They loved playing "Ninja Destruction." Caleb got quite into the game.We celebrated Caleb's birthday a little early with a huge milkshake.Yum! Some for everyone! We also went to Chuck E. Cheese. We collected a lot of great cousin memories. Thanks Amanda for letting us crash with you! By Saturday, we were impatient to get over to Hawaii, so we bought one way tickets to Honolulu. The crew spoiled Caleb for his birthday and even announced it to the whole cabin. He was in heaven from all of the attention.

Riding in a "real" airplane is very different from a military one. It was a bit of a pain to have to sit down the whole time!!

Hawaii~First few days

We didn't waste any time. We got right to the beach. It was wonderful.Our snow white bodies were a little shocked by the warmth and the sun. This is the view from our room. Zoomed a bit. Of course you could see other buildings too, but it was fabulous to sit on the balcony in the mornings. Caleb skipped the cartoons and preferred to sit in the sun. He is my kind of kid! We celebrated my birthday while there. Hawaii was the best present I could have asked for.

Hawaii~the Zoo and Pearl Harbor

We took a morning to head over to Pearl Harbor.

The boys didn't know much about Pearl Harbor before we got there. But they knew all about it by the time we left. It was a great experience.

Another day we went to the zoo. It was nice to see animals besides moose and caribou.

I couldn't resist.

Most afternoons were spent by the beach or the pool.

Hawaii~Crab Beach and Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center took all day, but it was well worth the time and money.

There were lots of activities for kids to do. Caleb was proud to be the only one to catch a fish.

We stayed for the luau and the big night show.

Our pork dinner. It was cooked underground and was delicious!

We stopped by the temple. The grounds were beautiful.

They are posing tough with their New Zealand tatoos.

Caleb and I got to dance in one of their performances. We weren't nearly as good as the real dancers.

We stopped at a beach that our children renamed "Crab Beach."

It was beautiful and fun.....until the crabs came out!!

I haven't seen crying and screaming over such little creatures before.

Hawaii~Diamond Head and New Cousins

We went over to Diamond Head Crater. It was quite a hike to get up to the top of the volcano, but it was an impressive view.We teased Caleb that we were going to push him into the lava, and he was relieved when we couldn't find any lava.

We spent another day with my aunt and uncle and cousins(and their children) who live up at Turtle Bay near the North Shore. We didn't take many pictures but it was the most beautiful part of Hawaii. The kids all enjoyed meeting their new cousins. We had the most amazing snow cones ever!! I wish we had a few more days to spend up on the North Shore. Or maybe I will convince Curtis to let us retire there!

Hawaii~Heading Home

We got on a military hop on Tues, Mar 15, to head back to Alaska. When we got to Travis AFB, California, we saw that there weren't any flights until the weekend to Alaska. Since Curtis needed to get back to work, we used his airlines miles and got him a ticket home. The rest of us stayed until Saturday. We rented a car and found our way to San Fransisco. Caleb was quite puzzled why it was called the Golden Gate Bridge when it was painted red. I wish I had all the answers.We visited the famous Pier 39. The weather was overcast but still warm(compared to Alaska!)

Alcatraz is right behind us. Too bad they aren't housing prisoners anymore, I have 4 that were interested.

We had to stop at In-And-Out Burger. I have heard so much about it. It was definitely good. Next time we will bring Curtis!!

We had a great trip but are happy to be home again. Snow is melting and summer is on its way. There is nothing more amazing than an Alaskan summer. We can't wait.