Summer 2011

We just returned from a 3 week trip to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Hailey Id!  Both Forrest and I left for Phoenix on 7/6/11 since April was getting married in Phoenix on the 8th.  Great fun to have all of Forrest's five kids and my daughter Suzy and family together.  Here are a few of the highlights in photos:

Suzy's family (do you think they like strips?)

It was a nice wedding.  I cannot believe I dont have a picture of Owen dancing!  He was out on the dance floor for every fast dance.  He said he was a great dancer since his music teacher taught he the Irish Jig.  Thank you to his music teacher!

We spend a few days in Phoenix.  Forrest and his son Guy flew to Albuquerque to visit with his step mother.  We just lost his dad and they closed up some loose ends.

While he was gone I spent the day with Suzy and family.  We went swimming and then to the Science museum.  What a neat place.  The kids loved it and I loved watching them enjoy themselves!

 

Owen and I had a photo session in the car on the way back to the hotel...

 

Back to Vegas with Heather and James.

  I was able to spend some time with Janelle and Mason.

Then on to our favorite summer spot.......Hailey ID.  We left a few days before Michelle and Joe so we took the kids up with us.  A great too few days!

Michelle and Joe arrived and we went fishing at the fish hatchery (they both caught a fish!) and onto Red Fish Lake.......

 

Forrest and I climbed half way up to Bald Mountain.  Michelle and the kids climbed all the way up.........5 miles!    

When I was in LV I had to get mom out of the hospital and into hospice but she was back at Acacia Springs Assisted Living.......I got her settled and went up to Idaho.  While in Idaho she slipped and fell and broke her hip.  I had to cut my Hailey trip short and drive back to Las Vegas early to assist in moving her to a group home with 24 hour care.  She is now bed ridden and cannot even feed herself because of the pain medication  she is on.   Mom cannot talk more than a few words. I was going to post a photo but too sad.  She is being taken care of by the same group home that my dad was in 2 1/2 years ago.  My dad also broke his hip and never recovered.


So Im back in Hawaii, my heart is in Las Vegas.  But we are still enjoying the weather and playing tennis, and taking long walks on the beach.  The new Disney Hotel is just across the street and it will be opening up soon.  Many more people will be enjoying my little slice of paradise................

Mother's Day trip to Vegas

Living in Hawaii is GREAT BUT you have to spend lots of money on jet fuel if you want to visit family on the mainland.  I CANNOT miss Mother's Day!!  Plus it was Alex's 1st birthday so perfect time for a short visit.  I had a great time not only seeing my family but my friends.  I learned that short visits are the best.  I spent two days with Janelle and the rest of the time with my girlfriend, Lana, which lives just down the street from Michelle.  I was able to visit with the entire group and still pulled of a dinner with each of my children and their family.  Everyone saw my mom on Mother's day.  She was a bit overwhelmed but seemed to enjoy the visit.  She does not like going outside of Acacia Springs much but I did take her to a lunch.  No shopping this time.

I am also learning how to garden!!  I have planted a small veggie and wildflower container garden in our outside shower.  Its a nice small place that should get enough light to grow a few veggies.  We have plants hanging and lined all around the the area.  We were able to find a connection to our shower head so we can easily water the plants.  It is quit fun...............Michelle and Joe inspired me when I visited them and we ate a delicious salad and made drinks from fresh Mint! 

So Im back home now.............Playing lots of tennis and enjoying our great weather.

A family visit.

Im adjusting better to Hawaii.  I went from being in a very familar  place where I had a job, friends, and family to a place where I knew no one except Forrest.  Its better now.  I have made friends and I dont feel like the new kid on the block any longer!


Suzy and her family just left after a week long visit.  What a blast we had.  I really enjoyed showing them a little bit of Oahu.  They really enjoyed it especially after they moved to the Marriott timeshares.  The kids loved the ocean!!  They also spent hours in our pool.  It was Abby's 9th birthday.

The day after they left, I did not even get dressed.  Going, going, going for the visit was a bit much and enjoyed a day of rest.  The following day I went into Waikiki with some tennis friends and just had a blast, shopping and eating lunch.  Two of the people had never been to Waikiki so we did all the touristy things.  Once home I stopped by for a glass of wine before I called Forrest to come and get me with the gold cart.

Today is Easter..........Normally, I would be cooking and cleaning up all day long.  Today is very quiet since Forrest is working and I really have nothing planned.  I leave for a short Mother's day visit to Vegas on 5/6 which is Alex's 1st birthday.  Im looking forward to that trip.

Spring is here!

It has been a great winter with temps hovering around 80 degrees.  It did bring  a few storms (11 inches of rain in 12 hours, 60 miles an hour wind storm and a tsunami warning)  All of which we survived but damage was done around many of the islands.  Michelle came for a birthday visit and well as Lana.  Suzy and her family are due next month!!!

Ive been playing lots of tennis and have to take a break now and then due to injuries from over playing.  Ive also joined a bunco group that plays the dice game once a month.  Meeting new friends is exhausting!  Ive attached a few pics of a few lunches and a hike.  Im still geocaching and looking into buying a new GPS unit.  Hiking here is very muddy but the sites are most unusual.  The first picture below is a hike to the very west end of Oahu. Its an wildlife protected area of the albatross (which were protecting their chicks)  Many Albatrosses were killed on Midway Island recently during the tsunami due to the fact they will not leave their young.

The grand kids are all doing great.  Next year Abby is going to be able to attend the school that Owen goes to and where Suzy is the librarian!  That will last two years until Abby goes to 6th grade.  For the first time the three of them will be in the same school!  Mason is beginning preschool on Monday and Alex is almost 11 months. 

I probably will not be in Vegas until July and that will only be for a short visit.  We will leave with Michelle and her family to our most favorite mountain spot of Hailey (Sun Valley) Idaho.  We will be there for 10 days, then I will fly back to the islands via Seattle where I will visit my cousin.  Of course, parents health may change plans.  Forrrest's dad who always had a steel trap for a mind is now in a nursing home.  We might have to go see him.  My mom is hanging in there.

We are starting a new business tied in with timeshare resells.  Forrest ran into an old colleague that is helping him until he feels he can do everything on his own.  So far so good.  We are now trying to create a pipeline of referrals.  His goal is to either go part-time with Marriott (preferred) or quit.  He basically buys banked timeshare weeks and pays that person cash, then resells them.  Im just keeping my fingers crossed because the local timeshare business is terrible.  Everyone is quitting since the deals are very flat.  As everything in the "commission world" it is up and down.  So we are looking else where and this business should work for a long time and a good retirement investment income.  I definitely dont want to go back to work!

Hope to hear from you soon. If  you can try to make a vacation to Hawaii!  I can show you a very different Hawaii!  No expensive excursions here!

Next visitor please...

 It has been a loooong time since Ive added a new segment to my blog.  Things are pretty routine so not much happens unless someone comes to visit!  First was Michelle, now Lana, a tennis friend from LV has arrived.  She loved to play tennis so I took her to Waianae Pick up tennis group.  It is good tennis.  Forrest and Lana are there right now and Im sitting at home recovering from the "Beginner's hike" I took her to yesterday.  We drove up to the hills of Aiea and hiked to the top of the mountain.  Many parts of the trail was even but it was so muddy and parts of the trail were washed out.  I used my phone to track the distance and I clocked over 5 1/2 miles.  I fell twice and ran into only one tree limb.  Lana had no sore muscle but I could hardly get out of bed this morning.  Tennis was the last thing I wanted to!  Today we are going to lunch and to see the movie Unknown.  Lana should have some time to spend on the beach.  She has seen the real Hawaii!  Its the best part!  Since Forrest is off for two days, we will probably go to the north shore or to the windward part of the island trying out my new GPS device.  I tried it yesterday, but once we started hiking we did not get to it.

WE also are invited to  a sunset party on Sunday after we play tennis in the morning.  People gather together to watch the sunset and have a few goodies in the meantime.  I think that will be fun.  Then we will probably watch the Oscars.  Then Lana goes home on Monday.  Here are a few pictures of the hike: