Tuesday, Wow! Fia Fia Forever.

KoOlina is an impressive resort. The grounds are beautiful and we enjoyed walking around the grounds. I'm an early riser so I could see the prep work that goes into making it such a clean and organized place. There was a lot of mowing of the lawns and raking of the white sandy beaches. It was all so beautiful The reflection pool was my favorite are to hang out by. Tanya came t visit and we attended the Fia Fia Luau that night. It was really great! I felt the memories of being a Polynesian dancer come flooding back. I bought poi balls and we danced on stage for a little. My mom got videos of Tanya, my Dad and I dancing and participating. My folks were called up and honored for having been married 40 or more years. The pictures cannot do just to the feeling of love, family, and happiness I felt. I was grateful to be there and I wanted Emmy to be here and come for her honeymoon to feel the love of marriage and celebrating of it there at the KoOlina. The food was great and also the music, company and sunset. It was a peak experience and I'm so glad to have gone.

Hawaii Part One

As I got on the plane, I couldn't believe it was happening. I really had the chance to sneak away to Hawaii. There was so much hype surrounding this trip. I didn't know what to expect, but hoped it would be great! The plane from Sacramento to Los Angeles was tiny, old, and wobbly. I did get my ginger ale like usual for refreshment in the air. I enjoyed a great view of the Los Angeles temple, Downtown where my Dad worked for twenty years, and of the coast. There was a haze covering the   suddenly, I remembered the place of my youth and how I have moved to greener pastures, but had wonderful memories from there. LAX was familiar however, the giant Boeing 757 was not. I knew it would be a six hour flight, but didn't realize how long that is in real time on a plane. My nervousness was misplaced as I had meals with my folks and caught smiles, and pleasant glances from them.

 My mom was sitting next to me and then went to sit by my Dad. I had more room then. It was a beautiful descent into Honolulu, Hawaii. I could see the blue green water and other islands there. It was balmy and warm as we got off of the plane. We were excited and warm, really warm! My mom had six layers on and soon we started to shed our layers and feel of the aloha spirit. My Dad was a little stressed out, but a detour took us through a scenic route to Tanya's house on Pali Road. It was so beautiful We saw 3 waterfalls and quite the ocean view while we got there.

 Tanya was such a great host. They gave me Kieran's room and it had a squishy queen bed, a personal air conditioner and a little outdoor patio. It was so nice. I was noticing I didn't have clothing cool enough for the weather.. I don't know how the marathon runners did it that day, but we walked to Ross, Tanya, Christian, and I and I got some active wear and a casual dress. I'm so glad I got those clothes. The next day would prove to be even more hot as we climbed Diamond Head. It was a great view and I learned I'm a little claustrophobic..

After a little rest looking at the ocean and ignoring the crowds I was able to go to the top and reap the beautiful view. Staying calm in life helps me to be successful and I need to remember that for later. The sunrise was great, the sunsets were great and I loved how well my sister and I were getting a long.

Family Festivities

Our sweet Emmy came to visit! I got the biggest hug from her right off the greyhound bus at the station in Sacramento. We snapped a picture together. The excitement was so thick you could feel it. Emmy noticed Spence had turned a little more like a teenager with acne.Emmy loved being back. It was a twenty four hour bus ride home from school, but she was still peppy and didn't seem tired at all. She was such a trooper. We went out to eat and the grandparents met us. Joseph opted to stay home so we were missing him. Spence motioned for Emmy to come over and get a hug. It was so sweet. We were all in a good mood having her around.

She settled in and saw so many friends and did so many things. We went and got highlights in her hair together and shopped.We of course went to the concert that was highly anticipated.  She saw friends there she didn't know were coming. We loved the Meet and Greet and the fun gourmet food before it started. We got a great parking space, view, and had a wonderful experience there.
The Lord must love Emmy because she is so blessed and things go her way more often than not.

On Monday, Emmy stayed home and did Homework and Celia and I went to the capitol building on her field trip. We had a great time and the State Capitol building was impressive. We pulled a few strings an were able to visit the assembly floor and see where the law making happens. Celia also was in a skit for her core values assembly and had a harvest party that week. Her skit was on personal responsibly. She did so well. It was a fun and eventful assembly and was said to be the best ever by a student and teacher. The fourth grade was putting it on. Joseph and Celia have been doing pretty good in school although they were sick last week. All my kids learned about missing school and how you have backed up work because of it. I have tried to keep a relaxed attitude as getting straight A's isn't the most important thing in life. Yes, it opens door, but I am trying to focus on relationships and strong moral values for our family in hopes we produce great citizens, fathers, mothers and members of society.

I have been feeling so grateful lately and today is no different. We had a lovely Thanksgiving over here. My folks and George and Ginny were our guests. The food was just to my liking and the conversation was great. I traded some cranberry sauce for Rah Rah's homemade rolls and they were so good! I got a better end of the deal. Thanksgiving was a hit an I felt so supported and loved. I don't recall a more pleasant hosting experience. Joseph even asked what he could do to help after dinner. It was so nice to hear. We fit all of us at the table and Joseph and Celia were excited to be at the adult table. I'm grateful we have a table big enough now thanks to my parents mahogany hand me down. I wanted to shop last night for Christmas, but I didn't want to ruin a perfect day.

  Celia is my buddy. Today her and I went Black Friday shopping. It wasn't crowded at all until after 11am. Christmas shopping is done and we got some great mommy daughter time in. We visited my folks and had a Christmas tamale meal an then we visited with Rah Rah and Carson for Jan's birthday. We are so blessed to have our family in town. I'm also grateful that Emmy is having such a great time visiting Lance an Dawn for Thanksgiving. We had a turkey dinner here with her a week early and now she traveled to Utah from Idaho. She escaped the cold somewhat and is being shown great hospitality in Utah.

So now the Christmas season commences. I want December to be about family and service and good times with those we love. I'm excited to go to annual parties and to visit my sister in Hawaii for the first time. This has been a great year and and glad it is finishing well.