H1N1

If you know me well you know that I am a total germaphob (Is that how you spell that?) and you also know that my mom is an expert in the area of preparedness. Luckily this is a good combo. Our little town has really been hit with the H1N1 virus and it has me totally freaked out. I just really DO NOT want Gracie to get this one. I feel really grateful that I have had my mom's wisdom and knowledge during this time. As many of you have come to me and asked me what my mom is recommending that we do to prepare to deal with pandemics such as the H1N1, I thought that this might be a good idea to remind you that she does have an AWESOME blog (blog.totallyready.com) and she also has an e-book (Prep Not Panic: Keys to Surviving the next Pandemic) that you may also find really helpful. Let's hope we can all stay healthy this fall!

Hawaii '09

Alright folks, here it is the post you have been waiting for...Hawaii 2009!

Jed, Gracie and I went along with our business partner and office staff to a dental convention in Hawaii for 8 days. We left several days early in order to have some "play" time before the "work" time began. The morning we left I was SO ANXIOUS. Jed and I literally have NEVER done anything like this and I was nervous about leaving my mom with our three young ("big") kids for the week. Honestly I was more worried about her than about them, but I am a worrier so I was worried about them too. In the end how grateful I am that we went. We had a really great time.

Here is a "brief" rundown of our week....

Day 1: fly to LAX (hated this airport...it is CRAZY!) for a layover then on to Hawaii, Gracie sleeps on and off and while we were tired at the end of the flight all of the people around us were raving about how good she was...whew! Arrive in Hawaii...ALOHA! I love all of the Polynesian people who are greeting us and I decide that a mistake was made in heaven before I came to earth...I was suppose to be Polynesian! After 16 hours of travel we collapse in our bed.

Day 2: We visit the Dole Plantation while waiting to meet up with the rest of Jed's staff. The Pineapple is delicious, but we are anxious to get to the water. We swim at Waimea Bay. The water is warm and beautiful. Are we in heaven? After swimming we head for lunch at "Ted's Bakery"...yummy Mahi-Mahi sandwiches. Then we visit a historical temple lookout and some beautiful gardens and then head for Sharks Cove for a little snorkeling. We see amazing fish and I can't help but think of Kate when I see one that is bright pink. Then on to find our first shaved ice....so fun. We make one last stop at the "birthing rocks" before heading to Costco and Wal Mart for a few things to get us through the week. Jed and I laugh our heads off when we discover that the Snuggie has even made it to Hawaii. Gracie is a champ throughout the whole day. We think she is loving the attention that she is getting.


Day 3: Jed, Gracie and I spend a lazy morning together, eat shrimp from Giavonni's Shrimp Shack (Amazing!) while sitting in front of the LDS Temple in Laie (beautiful and peaceful) and then head to the Polynesian Cultural Center. When I hear that in Samoa the men do the cooking, I know that I was in fact suppose to be Samoan! How could such a mistake been made in heaven? We loved learning about the customs of these island countries and of course loved the fire in the night show. We recommend the PCC to everyone. I was grateful on this day to be on the side of the island where they were not warning against a tsunami!
Day 4: We head to Pearl Harbor where I feel in awe and reverenced by what happened there. Jed and Tyler tour the Bowfin submarine while I tend to Gracie and check in at home (the kids are fine and not missing us much--yeah Nana!). We tour the AZ Memorial...I put on my sunglasses to hide my teary eyes as I look at the names of all of those who lost their lives on that one ship. I am also amazed that you can still see oil in the water some 40 years later...unbelievable. We head to the stadium to check out the swap meet and buy all sorts of stuff for the kids. I decide to kill two birds with one stone...the girls will be Hawaiian Girls for Halloween. Now we are hot and tired, so we head to Tyler's resort at Ko Olina for some swimming in the lagoon and pools. This is Gracie's first time swimming and she loves it, until she starts to get tired that is. We BBQ Tri-Tip with several of our office comrades and have a great time visiting. A very fun day.
Day 5: This is Jed's first day of classes...he thinks they are less than stellar, but is excited to run into our dental school friend, Julie! I am kicking myself for not contacting all of our dental friends before we came to see who was going to be there. Our schedule didn't really permit us to get together with them before Julie and her husband leave the next day...a true shame. On this day I read an entire book. I have NEVER in my life done that...read a book in one day. It was fabulous. We go to check out the pool and to my dismay they have drained it and have started replacing the tile...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Oh well. I walk around the international market place and head back to paint my toes and meet up with Jed (this is rough, eh?). We eat at PF Changs and walk around Waikiki. We decide next time we would probably not stay right there in Honolulu. It is fun, but much like any big city in S. Cal.

Day 6: Jed likes his classes this day...whew! I spend the morning doing a little laundry, walking around Honolulu and drinking a smoothie. Yum! Once Jed is out of class we head to Paradise Cove for a luau and some delectable Virgin Pina Coladas...oooh, that sounds good right about now. The entertainment was good, but the PCC was much better. We enjoyed this time with our staff and had a few good laughs. The sunset and the ocean are beautiful.

Day 7: I sleep in…oh yeah! Jed heads to class. I spend the morning reading, organizing for our trip home, putting Gracie’s hair in a pony tail and painting her toes…too cute. Once Jed gets back we head to Ko Olina once again for swimming. LOVE IT! Jed and I are loving this carefree time together and with just one child with us we feel so free (ironic…I was so stressed when we only had one child…funny how we adapt and change). We eat dinner at Outback Steakhouse and head back to our condo.

Day 8: We all sleep in…horray! We pack up our things and check out of our condo. Now we have about 11 hours before our flight leaves for home. We buy a last minute surprise at the LEGO store and FINALLY find some sugar cane to show the kids. We eat lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise and go for an AMAZING drive overlooking Honolulu, Diamond Head and the Punchbowl Cemetery. We are disappointed that the cemetery is closed, but we love the view. Then we head to turn in our rental car (funny thing about our rental car—the windshield wipers would turn on out of the blue for no reason…it drove Jed crazy…I laughed every time it happened…so FUNNY!) and head to the airport. We are both saddened to leave but ready to get back. That’s a good sign, right? We miss our kids and I think they miss us. Owen slept with our picture one night, but other than that they haven’t shed any tears. They had a lot of fun with Nana and we are so grateful that all went well with us away. Let’s hear it for Nana!!!