The Place to Be!

Our Hawaii trip is just a memory now, but what a great one to have. Thanks to Christie and Darren for taking us along with their family and providing a great get away and vacation. Now I know no one really wants to see vacation pictures, but oh well, here they are anyway--in my journal form. The airport was an adventure in itself. Dad and I got on the early flight but by the time the rest of the family got to LA the first plane had gone. So, that meant a 6 hr wait in the airport with hungry and tired children. So, bring on the game boys, the computer movie, the running up and down the corridors, a scavenger hunt (find someone with crazy hair--not hard, someone in a wheel chair, someone with a hat, etc) and McDonalds. A few even got in a nap. Funny how that picture isn't on my camera anymore. I wonder how it got erased! The flight over was uneventful. Dad and I watched Avatar on the itty bitty screen, but it passed the time. We got in, got all the luggage and caught the shuttle and drove the 45 min to the hotel. Next morning at 5:00 the kids were ready to hit the beach. We made them wait a few hours longer and then it was sand and surfing. Next day we hit the big beach. You'll notice the smiles--that's cause they are looking at the nude beach just behind me! Friday we went to some little shops and ate at Cool Kats--actually we renamed it to "Fat" Kats. Their burgers were huge. After that we climbed huge trees and fed the pigeons and birds. Everyday the kids swam and stayed in the water for hours. Zack is a fish just like his dad. Christie and I got to see many whales jumping out in the ocean. It was really awesome. So, on Saturday, we went on a whale watching boat and it got up pretty close to a mom and baby and "escort" After we went to another beach. Darren found some sea urchins. The kids loved looking at them Sunday we got to go to church--heard some awesome talks, then took pictures. The girls The whole gang It was one of those down days cause you know your vacation is just about over. We also made a quick trip to the forest part of Hawaii. They loved swinging on the vines for a minute We got to the airport and were holding our breath that we got on the flight. Which we did but when we got to LA at 5:00 in the morning Monday, we heard the sad news that the flights were overbooked. By a miracle of fate, all the Pratt's got on so that was good. Dad and I spent the day there and said lots of prayers. When we finally got on a flight later afternoon cause one of the international flights had been canceled , dad accused me of my prayer causing someone else grief. Hopefully it didn't work that way but we sure were glad to get a flight home. We had such a great time. We loved being with our grandchildren and feeling their excitement and watching them have such a great time. I loved being able to visit with Christie again since we rarely have time to talk much anymore. I loved the beauty and spirit in that land and it makes me so grateful for this wonderful world we live in. I loved spending time with dad also. So a big thank you again to Christie and Darren for taking us there!