Southwest Trip

Day 1 & 2
Mom, Dad & the boys headed out on Thursday, Robert & I left Friday afternoon. We made it to Santa Fe Saturday night & met up for dinner that night.

Day 3
We visited Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos, NM before driving to Cortez, CO. Ancestral Puebloans lived in this area between 1150 A.D. & 1550 A.D. The cliff dwellings were amazing.

Day 4
Today was spent at Mesa Verde National Monument in Colorado. This national park protects around 600 cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans between A.D. 550 to A.D. 1300. There is beauty everywhere you look at Mesa Verde. We toured Spruce House & Robert & Jake did a guided tour of Cliff Palace. From the driving tour there are many stops where you can see Pit Houses & other cliff dwellings.

Day 5
Most of our trip was spent in the Four Corners Region of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah & Arizona. Today we visited Four Corners Monument which is operated by the Navajo Nation. There are questions as to whether or not this is the "actual" point where the four states meet, but it looked good to us. Lots of shopping can be done here for items made by local Navajo people. The drive into Utah was beautiful. It amazed us how the landscapes changed from place to place. Our next stop was Monument Valley, also operated by the Navajo. Lunch was great & we were able to try some traditional Navajo dishes. Jake chose mutton stew, he loves to try new things. We went to Goulding's Museum which contains lots of information about movies filmed in Monument Valley.

Day 6
We drove from Cortez to Page, AZ. We arrived at Lake Powell in time for the boys to take a little swim in the below 50 degree water. Later that evening, the dogs got their chance to swim & things got a little crazy. In addition to Cinder's ongoing obsession with waves, we added Bandit's confusion over what kept happening to the holes he dug over & over at the shoreline. We got confused about what time it was while in Page. Arizona does not do daylight savings time & our campground was on the Arizona/Utah border so our phones kept changing time zones.

Day 7
Today we took a float trip on the Colorado River at Glen Canyon. It was a totally different perspective being in the river below rather than being on the mountains above. It was a float trip, we were told you will not get wet, but in true Lundy form, yeap, we got soaked. Garrett & a few other brave souls took a quick dip in the 47 degree water after we stopped to look some Anasazi petroglyphs.

Day 8
Grand Canyon Day! Yes, it is as spectacular as you hear. Everywhere you look is breathtaking & it changes at every angle. We took a guided bus tour & our driver had tons of info about the history of the area. Really scary that people do NOT stay on the sidewalks & 5-7 people die each year falling. There had already been two this year, & we really thought at one point we were going to witness #3. I like a good picture as much as anybody, but guardrails are there for a reason. After leaving the Grand Canyon, we went to see the Planes of Fame Museum, the Grand Canyon Imax & the Condor bird show.

Day 9
Our drive to Sedona, AZ was gorgeous. The road had a lot of switchbacks so that was fun. We made a quick trip by Slide Rock State Park where Robert & the boys had a chance to play in one of God's water parks. We met my parents at Verde Canyon Railway for an afternoon train ride, then back to Sedona for dinner & shopping. Garrett can always find something he wants to buy, Jake has a little more trouble, but we did find Jake's new favorite store, The World of Jerky. LOL

Day 10
The morning of day 10 was spent washing laundry from the previous 9 days. Fun!! Then the guys made another trip to Planes of Fame while Mom & I went to Williams to shop. Williams is a little town on Historic Route 66. Later we all met up at Bearizona Wildlife Park. They have a drive through park area, a walk through area & a petting zoo.

Day 11
Today was pretty much a drive day traveling from Northern AZ to Southern AZ. I think the temperature went up 30 degrees during our drive. Goodbye to our 40 degree mornings & highs in the high 70, hello 105. The campground we stayed at in Benson has an observatory (not your typical campground amenity) so we had a little astronomy lesson that night.

Day 12
There is not much in Benson, AZ; but it is a good central location to see other things. This morning we did a tour of Kartchens Caverns before heading to Tombstone. The Earp brothers & Doc Holliday keep a pretty good eye on the town, but trouble always breaks out & they end up back at the OK Coral many times daily. We ended the day at Boothill Graveyard before heading back to Benson.

Day 13
Robert & the boys went to Pima Air & Space Museum this morning. They met up with a guy Robert knows out there & got a couple of behind the scenes tours as well. After lunch we headed to Los Cruses, NM.

Day 14
Today was Mom's birthday & we celebrated with lunch in the historic town of Mesilla, NM. There were lots of little shops to visit before enjoying Mexican food at La Posta. After lunch we headed to Carlsbad, stopping at White Sands National Monument. Sand sledding was fun, but with the heat, we didn't last long.

Day 15 & 16
Happy birthday to Jake! We had planned on staying one more day & going to Carlsbad Caverns, but after 14 days, everyone was pretty much ready to get home. We decided to head out after lunch so we could make it back Saturday night. The dogs were very happy to see actual grass at the campground we stayed at Friday night. The drive home was long, but well worth getting back & having a day to rest before going back to the real world. The trip was filled with a lot of driving and we moved around to see a lot of different things, but it was great and we will have many lifelong memories.

Wow, what a week our Garrett had last week! Last Wednesday night he received his 1st Degree Black Belt. All his hard work paid off! Then he had his birthday & most importantly, he was baptized Sunday! We are so proud of him! God has blessed us with two amazing sons!

Thursday, July 16

After about 5 hours sitting in terminals, 10 total hours in the air, about 2 hours running misc. errands before leaving Ramstein AFB for a 4 ½ hour car ride, the Lundys rolled in as usual around 11pm to their hotel. We ended up with a full flight from Andrew’s AFB so we didn’t have enough room to put down both air mattresses, so the boys & I slept on one. But we were glad our guys opened enough seats so that everyone waiting for a flight to Germany was able to get on the plane. There were a few families with 3-5 kids trying to get home that had been in the states visiting. Edelweiss is a beautiful hotel with even more beautiful views.

Friday, July 17

Since we were so late getting to bed, we slept until close to noon. We spent our first afternoon on the Zugspitz, the highest mountain in Germany reaching 10,000 feet. The views were incredible! Luckily we arrived when we did because about 1 ½ after we got there the fog moved in. After a nice lunch (Jake really enjoyed his Italian noodle soup), we took a cable car down to a winter ski area of the mountain. The boys got to bobsled down a small hill, not something we get to do in Mississippi even with the snow we had this year. Garrett, being the hot natured child he is, wore shorts today. He even took his coat off when they were running around & sledding. We caught the last cogwheel train down the mountain & spent the rest of the evening walking around Garmisch & having dinner at Edelweiss. We turned in early hoping for a good nights sleep.

Saturday, July 18

Our sleep patterns are soooo messed up! Between Jake not being able to sleep & Garrett itching from all the chigger bites he got in Alabama last weekend, we are not sleeping much. Finally after being awake for a couple of hours, we got up, got ready and headed out at 6am. It ended up being a good thing since the weather was bad & traffic going to Austria was horrible. We toured the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines which were very cool. Due to the weather, we were not able to visit Hitler’s Eagles Nest, so we drove into Salzburg. The city of very pretty even through the rain. We visited Mozart’s birthplace & museum, then we walked around town seeing the buildings, statues & fountains.

Sunday, July 19

Well, yesterday we were awake ready to go at 4am, today we were dragging the boys out of bed at 10:00. Our first stop in Munich was the Deutsches Museum. This is a huge science & technology museum. The boys could have spent all day there, but since we slept in this morning, that was not an option. Next we headed to the Munich Zoo. What an awesome zoo! We could have spent a whole day there too, but it closed at 6:00, so we headed to the city center. Munich is a beautiful city. The highlight was seeing the Glockenspiel (big mechanical clock). After seeing the sites we had a great dinner at a little restaurant and stopped by Hard Rock Café for shirts. We all thought Munich was our favorite place so far.

Monday, July 20

Since we are having such a heard time getting up & moving, we decided last night we would not go to Italy, but do a few more things around Garmisch. We toured the Linderhof Palace and visited the town of Ommaberggain. The landscape & architecture here is so beautiful, I enjoy just riding around. Of course the boys are busy playing & Robert is busy driving, so I may be the only one really enjoying the rides. Robert is so patient stopping (even turning around) to let me take pictures. We seem to be making a habit out of skipping lunch. But at least there is always a place to get a big pretzel : ) By dinner time we are not feeling very adventurous, so most of dinner meals have been at Edelweiss. We are more interested in finding something we will like, than trying the local favorites.

Tuesday, July 21

We had to get up & going early this morning, it is a long drive to Paris. I found out why google maps gives you the option to "avoid toll roads", France has a lot of them (about $30 for as far as we were going). We decided to go straight to Disneyland when we arrived. It is smaller than Disney World, but busy enough to remind me why we go to Disney in February : ) After the park closed at 11pm we headed straight to the get on the shuttle back to our hotel. This was a mistake. Apparently there is no such thing as a line or waiting your turn when it comes to getting on or in something in Paris. It seems to be whoever can push the hardest that gets to go first. And having a small child with you does not mean people will not shove between you & them. I think I almost pulled Garrett’s little arm out of socket dragging him through the people shoving to get on the shuttle. What is so bad, the shuttle ran for another 2 ½ hours! Anyway, our first evening is Paris was a little stressful.

Wednesday, July 22

Paris has a metro system similar to Washington DC, but multiplied by, I don’t know, 100,000! Add to that it is another language, it took us a little while to get our bearings. People have various ways to get money from you, from handing you cards asking for money, playing music (you don’t want to hear) on the subway train then passing a hat, to some scam dropping & picking up a ring in front of you that we never figured out (but did not fall for : ). We spent a couple of hours in the Louvre and started trying to figure out the best way to the Eiffel tower. We decided to take the water bus which circles the Seine River, so after lunch & ice cream, we headed out on our boat ride. I was out voted, so to the TOP of the Eiffel tower we went (I voted 2nd floor). I was surprised the wait was only about 45 minutes & after we got there, I was glad my boys talked me into going to the top. By the time we came down, it was pouring down rain. Of course the street vendors came running up with umbrellas for sale, we quickly bought two : ) After a long subway ride back to our stop, we had a great dinner at Planet Hollywood at the Disney Village. We did NOT make the same mistake again, we took out time shopping & took the shuttle around midnight. No mob that time!

Thursday, July 23

Today is our day to head back to the base (3 ½ hours). On the way we stopped at Castle Kusel. Robert had brought the boys gifts from there before our trip here in 2005, so that was the 1st place we went when we came here the first time. It turned out to be the last place we went before returning to the base this trip.

Friday, July 24

Oh, the joys of Space A travel (not complaining, it is free : ). The flight back to Jackson is a medical flight & we found out this morning that they have 60 patients. It was announced that there would be 0 seats open on this flight, but there is another C-17 going to Charleston a few hours later. The crew did end up releasing 6 seats trying to give us a chance on, but Air Mobility would not process us on this close to take off. We always knew it could happen, but seeing that Mississippi plane sitting there knowing it has 6 open seats was a bit of a bummer. Well, at least for Robert & me. All it took was the mention that we would be close to Aunt Lisa & might get to see her, and the boys were pumped! They don’t seem to think it matters that this way would add another 10+ hours in a rental car! I guess it is just another adventure for them : ).

Saturday, July 25

We got to Lisa & Cindy's late last night (well, early this morning). The boys were so excited to be there & meet their cats & dogs. Before leaving town we went by the police station where Lisa works & the boys spent a little while in a cell & were fingerprinted. Then we went by a peach stand & headed home. Robert tried really hard to get a speeding ticket, it is hard to come off of 8 days driving on the Autobahn with no real speed limit : ) We made it back in time to turn our rental car in & were happy to sleep in our own beds. It was a wonderful trip, but there is no place like home : )

Camping at Roosevelt State Park

Since we went to Hawaii in January, we stayed close to home for Spring Break. Our friends, the Lingle's, just bought a camper & we all went to Roosevelt State Park. We had a beautiful weekend for our first trip out in the camper for 2009. Garrett's friend, Jacob, came to join us on Saturday so everyone had someone to play with!

Regional Karate Tournament

The boys did GREAT at the Spring Tournament. Jake got gold for his traditional form & silver for his free design form. Garrett has not competed in over a year & got silver in both traditional & free design! Way to go guys!!!

Garrett won 1st place in the Pinewood Derby!

Hawaii Trip - Day 1

Being at the base at 5:30 am was tough, but we made it. The boys really enjoy flying on a C-17. They are able to make pallets & move around. Robert & I both slept some, but the boys did not sleep at all. When Robert went to pick up our rental car (suppose to be a Mustang), it had not been turned in, so they gave us a Lincoln Navigator instead. At first we were a little disappointed, but soon realized all our stuff would have never fit in the mustang. I have got to learn to pack lighter :)

After we picked up out activity tickets from the base (military discounts are GREAT in Hawaii), we tried to make it down town to go to The Cheesecake Factory. Well, rush hour traffic in Honolulu is horrible, so we stopped at a Chinese restaurant and headed for the hotel with sleeping boys in the back seat. By the time Robert finished unloading the car, the boys & I were all sound asleep (that time change is tough :)

Day 2

Since the time is four hours behind our usual time, we were up very early the next day. We were headed to Sea Life Park & were so early, we had time to stop & play at Sandy Beach before they opened. While Robert & Garrett played in the water, Jake & I walked down the beach taking pictures.

After walking around the park for a little while, it was time to check-in for our dolphin swim. This was a very neat experience. I personally did not care to the kissing the dolphin part, but I survived. We watched a dolphin show, had lunch & paid a small fortune for 6 pictures & a video of us with the dolphin, but it was worth it.

It started raining, so we changed our plans of snorkeling at Hanama Bay & headed to Pearl Harbor to tour the USS Bowfin submarine. Last year, the boys & I did the Pearl Harbor & USS Arizona tour, but did not have time to visit the Bowfin.

Day 3

We started Saturday with a whale watching boat tour. The boat ride was pretty rough, but none of us got sea sick. We spotted a group of whales, but you had to keep watching to really see them. The boys both finally saw some, so everyone was happy. We were suppose to do a submarine tour after that, but visibility was poor so we had to reschedule. We changed our plans & headed to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. It was very beautiful there, but also pretty chilly late in the day. Robert & Jake saw a sea turtle, and again, they did not have the camera. Robert came in, got the camera and shot a great video of the turtle having dinner on the reef at Hanauma Bay.

Day 4

Sunday was a very busy day. We visited New Hope church in Honolulu. Their Pastor Wayne spoke a Pinelake several months ago. It is a large church that meets in a high school gym & also has tents set up outside. They have 3 or 4 other locations & do 5 services each weekend. After church we went for our submarine tour. This was very cool! They have placed sunken ships, planes & other things as artificial reef in the area, so there are plenty of fish to see. We saw a sea turtle at one of the ships. There was also a small tiger shark, but it was on the other side of the sub, so we did not see it. Next we headed to hike Diamond Head. It was a beautiful hike, but much easier coming down than going up : ) Most of the trail is unpaved, but that is the easy part. The 200+ stairs was hardest part, at least for me. But the view was worth it. The boys wanted to do it again, but Robert & I said no to that idea. We had a few waterfalls we had hoped to see, but since we had rain one day & had to reschedule the sub tour, we picked the shortest walk & went to Kapena Falls. It was a beautiful, short walk though a wooded area to a small waterfall. The trail follows the waterfall as it travels down the hill & it was hard to believe we were really still in town. Except for the fact that unfortunately, some rocks has been scared with graffiti & towels & other things have been left on an overlook at the falls, it was a beautiful area. We went back to Sandy Beach where the boys got to body board and play in the ocean until the sun went down. Then we drove into town & ate dinner at Kobe Japenses Steakhouse. My dad & I ate at the same restaurant when I as about Jake’s age.

Day 5

On our last full day, Robert & the boys started out at the Pacific Aviation Museum. Since we thought we had to be at the base at 6:00 am, I worked on packing & cleaning out the car so we would not have to be back so early that night. While at the museum, Robert found out our flight was delayed, so we would have time to finish packing & cleaning the car the next day. This also meant we would not be home until 2:00am Wednesday. We headed to the North Shore of the island to hit a couple of beaches in that area. Our first stop was Shark’s Cove, which is suppose to be a great snorkeling beach in the summer, but not so much in the winter. It didn’t take us long to realize the snorkeling wasn’t working out, so we moved on to Waimea Beach. The surf was very high that day, but the boys really enjoyed being pounded by the waves. We spend our last night at Dave & Busters for dinner & video games. The food was great & the boys had a blast with the games.

Day 6

We stayed at the Navy Lodge on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor. One of the buildings was used as an emergency medical treatment center when Pearl Harbor was attached. The last day we were there, a Navy Aircraft carrier came into port.

After a vacation, we are headed home. Aloha!

Fall ITA Championship - Chattanooga, TN

Jake did a great job at the fall karate tournament. He won gold for his free design form and silver for his traditional form. He moved up to the 11 - 14 year old division this time, so we were all a little nervous. As always, his performance & sportsmanship made us so proud!

Here is Jake with his instructor, Mr. Griffin.

This are Jake & Garrett with Matthew, Jake's new karate buddy from Iowa. Matthew won the gold medal in traditional form.

Band Night

Here are a couple of things I did not get around to posting earlier....


Jake & several of his friends are in band this year. The Middle School Band had a chance to be part of the pre-game show at the High School football game a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of Jake, Seth, Josh & Daniel.

Garrett's 8th Birthday Party

Since our trip to Hawaii, Garrett has been wanting to have a Luau party for his birthday. Of course he was involved in the planning, he likes things a certain way. LOL I did have to change his plan a little, I did not think Castlewoods would want us to roast a pig in the ground beside the pool. It was a great party cut short by the weather, but Garrett did not seem to mind.

Where does the time go???

It is hard to believe how fast time gets away! It seems like school just started & now we are about to finish the 1st nine weeks! With school, scouts, sports & karate in full swing, we stay pretty busy.

Jake has adjusted well to middle school. I think his teachers from last year had him well prepared and his new teachers made it an easy transition. He loves band & was so happy when he found out he was getting to play saxophone. It is amazing how quickly he is learning his new instrument.

It took Garrett a little while to understand that 2nd grade is suppose to be harder than 1st grade. He would just say "don't they understand we are just in 2nd grade"! He loves his teachers & is really enjoying his first year in Venture. He tested for his Sr. Brown belt in karate a couple of weeks ago & is now trying to decide if he is going to continue or take a break

We got to do something at the end of the summer we have been wanting to do for several years. We had the chance to see one of our favorite Christian artists, Jeremy Camp, in Alabama right before school started. He is truly an amazing musician & speaker. We also got to see Hawk Nelson (and Mark Stuart) at a Braves game. Below are a couple of pictures from those concerts.

Back to School Night

Back to School night was tonight for both boys & they are really excited to start back tomorrow. We are so excited about both of their teachers and are looking forward to a great year. It was nice having them at the same school for two years, but they will never be at the same school again. They both have something new to look forward to this year (like going to the Middle School is not enough!) Jake is excited to start band and Garrett will be starting Venture.

Well, I thought finding time keep this updated would be easier in the summer, but that has not been the case. Jake make it back from Boy Scout camp in one piece & had a good time. I have to admit, we may have overreacted just a bit when we dropped them off. I guess a boy's idea of a good time & a mom's are two different things. LOL Garrett enjoyed Camp Invention again this year, but said he probably would not be going back next year. As always, Pinelake's VBS was a big hit with the boys. Jake has been to VBS every year since he was 3 and looks forward to being a helper next year.

We spent last week in Bryson City, NC. Robert's sister, Alisa and her friend Cindy, met us there & my parents come up a day after us. It was beautiful and the weather was a little cooler. We tubed, whitewater rafted, fished and rode horses. We also spent a day at Dollywood and a day in Cherokee, NC.

Jake is at Camp Waukaway with the church for a few days and Garrett is getting ready to go to a film camp. They only did two camps each and VBS this summer, but we sure have seemed to stay busy. I cannot believe school is just around the corner. It is hard to believe Jake will be in middle school, they grow up so fast. Garrett was telling me tonight that if feels like summer just started, I completely understand.

Boy Scout Camp

Well, Cynthia and I drove the boys to Camp Comer Boy Scout Reservation in Mentone, AL (one hour from Chattanooga). The drive up the mountains was beautiful and the temperature dropped about 8 degrees. Having not visited many Scout Camps, you might say Cynthia and I were a little shocked at where we were leaving our boys. LOL (I can laugh now, we were NOT laughing yesterday) While we did not find anything with FUR living in their cabin (I use that term loosely, Cynthia said it is a tool shed from Home Depot), there were several wasps, spiders and roaches that had set up housekeeping there this spring.

We spent the night in Birmingham and were fully prepared to go back and pick them up today if we needed too. I finally got a text (thank goodness for technology & that we got him a phone)from Jake about 10:30 and we were two happy mama's! The boys are fine, having fun, but in need to something to kill spiders and a new lantern. We told them to tell Mr. Tim (their Troop Master) they need some stuff from the Dollar General in town, they have plenty money to get what they need. Seth's dad, Fred, is heading there Tuesday, so after that we can relax!

Our Cougars of the Quarter!

Congratulations to Jake & Garrett for being selected as Cougar of the Quarter for their classes this nine weeks. Each teacher selects 2 students from her class each quarter. This is the first time either of the boys has been selected. With this being Jake's last nine weeks at NWRE, that made it pretty cool.

2008 Spring Championship

Jake had an awesome tournament in Mobile this weekend! He received gold medals for Traditional Forms & Free Design! He got out in his first round of sparring, but it was a good match. We are so proud of the sportsmanship he shows! He was the first to start clapping for the other boys & when those around him would came back from sparring he would always tell them they did good.

We were at a corner mat, so you can not see everything else going on behind us, but they have 60+ rings going at one time. I could not hear where everyone was from this time, but at the last tournament he had boys from 5 states in his ring. There were a couple of boys he has competed against before, so the kids start getting to know each other. This was Jake's last tournament in this division, starting at regional here in Jackson this summer, he will be in the 11-14 group.

Scoring is 1-5, but they pretty much never give a 1 or a 5. There are 3 judges & the scores are added together so a 12 would be as high as we would expect to see. Jake got as 11.5! He ended up in a ring with no free design competition, although there was a lot going on around us. His free design is really good & it counts toward National standings anyway. They get points for each medal they win at the 2 National Tournaments & that is how they get their national rankings at the end of the year. Jake's is off to a great start for 2008!

Great Soccer Season, Garrett!

Garrett played soccer this spring. He had played once before, a couple of years ago at Upward. He did a GREAT job & had a BLAST! Now he is geared up for baseball!

I have not updated in a long time! We have hit that point were everything the overlapping. Garrett will finish soccer this week and scouts next week, but baseball started last week. Jake started tennis about a month ago & baseball last week. Of course, he always does karate. The first national tournament of the year is this weekend in Mobile, so he has been training harder. Jake's new Boy Scout troop is very active & two of his best friends are in his troop, so he always wants to go with them. This is the first afternoon I have had a chance to really clean my house since we got back from Hawaii, so I am going to get busy with that & I will post some soccer & field trip pictures later.

March 28, 2008

Heading Home

March 28, 2008

Most of Thursday night & Friday morning were spent in the pool.

March 27, 2008

Thursday we headed to Tunnels Beach and stopped along the way to see the Kilauea Point Lighthouse. Once again we had a great time snorkeling. Jake caught on to it like a pro! Garrett did not like the snorkel so he would stay on Robert's back until he saw something good & then he would swim around looking & climb back on his daddy.

Tunnels Beach

March 26, 2008

Wednesday afternoon we went on a river boat ride to the Fern Grotto. After that we went to the Smith's Family Garden & Luau.

March 26, 2008

I know the bets were against me, but here is my proof - I did the ziplines! We did two of the lines twice & the other one once. After that we went to swim at Kipu Falls. You will also see that the Lundy Boys can still argue in paradise. : )

No laughing at my helmet!!!

Wednesday morning we went zip lining near Kipu Falls. This is in the area that Jurassic Park was filmed. After the zip lines, we went swimming at Kipu Falls. Robert & Jake did the rope swing into the water.

March 25, 2008

After the helicopter tour, we drove to Poipu and ate at Garrett's new favorite restaurant, Pukadog - Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs. Then we went snorkeling at Poipu Beach. While Jake & Robert were snorkeling, two sea turtles swam right by them. On the way back we stopped to see Spouting Horn where water is forced through a lava tube when the waves come into shore.

March 25, 2008

There are areas of Kauai that are not accessible by car. On the helicopter tour you get to see Waimea Canyon, the Napali Coast and fly into the crater of the volcano that created Kauai.

March 24, 2008

Monday morning we rode around to see some waterfalls & other sites. When a hurricane was headed toward Kauai years ago, the farmers let the livestock loose. Now the island has chickens & roosters everywhere. Back Country Tubing is on the old Lihue Sugar Plantation. You tube through irrigation canals which run through tunnels that were dug by hand over 100 years ago. That evening Robert & the boys (it was to cold for me) went swimming at Lydgate Beach. Later in the week the boys got to play at the park at that same beach.

March 23, 2008

We arrived in Kauai Sunday evening. Of course the first thing the boys wanted to do was go swimming. We had to try out my new waterproof camera that does pictures & video. It works GREAT!

Sunday morning we went to Waikiki Beach and then dropped Robert off at Hickam AFB. The boys & I went to Pearl Harbor before flying out that afternoon to Kauai.

March 22, 2008

We left Jackson at 6:30 Saturday morning and arrived in Honolulu on Saturday afternoon. After checking into the hotel we road around the island for a few hours. With the 5 hour time difference we were to tired to do much else.

Aloha!

We had a wonderful trip! It was so beautiful there and we (of course) took tons of pictures. I will start posting pictures & video clips soon.

The boys had great time. Jake's favorite thing was when a sea turtle swam right by him & Robert while they were snorkeling. Garrett says his favorite thing was tubing & meeting T & Justin that were our tubing guides. We also took a helicopter tour (very cool) and did a zipline tour (yes, I did it too & I did not even scream).

The Excitement Builds

We finally got packed! Robert is taking our luggage with him tomorrow so we will not have to worry about checking any bags at the airport. That should make things easier. The boys are getting really excited. Garrett wants to find some lava rocks and Jake wants to swim at some waterfalls. I think the thing they both are most excited about is the zipline at Kipu Falls. The picture above is from Kipu Falls.

Are we there yet?

Jake & Garrett are enjoying their Spring Break! We have started packing and Garrett has asked me to stop talking about Hawaii & torturing him. We will see how tortured he feels after 10 hours on an airplane. I can hear him now, "Are we there yet?, Are we almost there yet?, Are we half way there yet?" We need to get the video games fully charged!

The picture is of Wailua Falls in Kauai. The falls was made famous when it was featured in the opening scene of the television show, Fantasy Island.

Count down to Hawaii!

One week from today we will be in Hawaii! It is safe to say we are pretty excited.

Welcome!

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