Aloha!!!--Mahalo!!!--Wiki wiki!!!

These are a few of the words we learned while in Hawaii.

Aloha, which is Hello, and everyone says it. That's the first thing they say even at the beginning of church and the congregation all says it back, and if it wasn't very energetic they say it again and the second time it is with more gusto.
Mahalo, which means Thank You! And i can not say Thank You! enough to King and Diane Husein for letting us use their beautiful condo and giving us this chance to enjoy the beautiful island of Maui. We had a wonderful time, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Wiki wiki, means hurry, hurry, or faster, faster. Which is what Yaz and Holly were saying each time i was trying to catch a wave while boogie boarding. I think i spent more time under the waves than on top. But we laughed till our sides hurt. And i never knew swimming suits could hold that much sand. Holly is still digging sand out of her scalp, so i wasn't the only one rolling around in the surf.

Just some of the highlights of the trip: Snorkeling, is so much fun, we swam with great big sea turtles and did you know that each one of their shells have a different pattern or color on them; SOOOO COOL. Lots of beautiful fish and ocean creatures. I'm so mad that i forgot my underwater camera or there would have been tons more pictures.

Boogie boarding or should i say rolling in the waves and eating sand. VERY ENJOYABLE.

Just a side note from the college kid, (that would be Holly, who just passed her anatomy class)Did you know that your body can only absorb a certain amount of salt and then it flushes the rest out. So consequently the more salt water you take in the more often you have to get rid of it. "Does anyone know where the nearest restroom is"? We asked that a hundred times. OK, i asked that a hundred times. The ocean is very salty...

The Road To Hana; i have never been on so many S curves in my life. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. Yummy coconut ice cream made from coconut milk. Beautiful waterfalls to jump off of, delicious banana-macadamia nut bread. Hasagawas general store at the end of the road.

Oh! and did i tell you we got to visit the Garden of Eden, and seriously it had plants and flowers from all over this world. Thanks to a years past hippie/musician/environmentalist/landscape artist/botanist/and all around neat guy named Alan Bradbury whose passion is enjoying the beauties of nature and sharing it with others. We fast became his favorite people in the garden, he even shared his bug spray with us. He has a faithful companion named Dandelion.

This is the Hawaiian cell phone tower

Luau: an opportunity to enjoy the native food, music and island hospitality. Not to mention great looking toned, muscular, tanned specimens. And you thought that Hawaii only had gorgeous native women. I got news for you...

Holly learned how to do the Hula dance.

Poi is the most tasteless thing in the world, but roast pork is fantastic. I didn't like the purple sweet potatoes, i don't care what color they are they still taste icky, and Haupia (coconut pudding) ice cream is to die for. Can i just say, "I could so live their". Well maybe three or four months out of the year. I would still need to have season changes.
Last but not least, every vacation has a story, When i get the chance i will tell you about the biggest hurkin spider you have ever seen. He was the size of a big crab, and I'm not lying either. He was big enough you could see his eyes. Thanks to Holly and Yaz i had time to contemplate what it was that i was looking at. If i had had my camera i would have had proof, because it took me a few seconds to register what it was that was running towards me on the wall of the cave. Holly and Yaz of course had already screamed bloody murder and dove back out into the ocean. leaving me to snap a vivid image in my mind of what was about to eat me. I finally came to my senses and headed out of the cave, of course going under the wall where the spider was. So much for coming to my senses. Needless to say I suffered PT SS (Post Traumatic - Stress Syndrome) about an hour later when i tried to talk about and describe what i saw.

Well those were just a few of our wonderful adventures on the beautiful island of Maui. Thanks again to Yaz and Diane for a fun, Girls Only Vacation. Hang Loose :0)

Callahan's Dairy - field trip

Martine showed the kids The cooler that the milk goes through,right after it comes from the cows before it goes into the big storage tanks. It's amazing how that little cooler can cool the milk down so fast.

It's spring time and cows are calving. But we weren't as lucky this time when we visited the dairy. The Momma cow already delivered. But the kids were pretty excited to see the milking parlor. I was totally suprized when March wanted to milk a cow by hand. Most everyone tried it. Sam and Addison are feeling how the milking machine works on their fingers.

But of course the best part was seeing the baby calves, and trying to feed the other cows. I think they were as curious about us as we were about them.

Lyra was trying to get the calf to eat but all he wanted was to suck on her fingers.

We really are Kountry Kids Preschool, how many kids get to hold class in the back of a pickup truck at a dairy.It just goes to show that you can learn no matter where you are.

Thanks Martine for the great tour! OK boys and girls. Where does milk come from? You had better not say from the store. As March would say, "It comes from cows silly."

Tribute to Husband , Father, Grandpa and Friend

Jack Larell Gilbert, August 16,1923-April 10,2009

This will probably be a long one, but then it wouldn't be right if it weren't when your talking about Jack Gilbert.

You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was shinning , the birds were singing and family and friends were gathered to pay their respects to a wonderful, kind hearted man. Who loved his family more than anything. It was evident in the comments and remarks made at the funeral service that he had a tremendous testimony of our savior Jesus Christ and tried to pattern his life according to Christ's teachings. I know as well that he loved each and everyone of his Children and their spouses. He was admired by all of his grand children and they learned valuable lessons from him during his many long Chats (lectures) :o)

I know that Jason and Travis learned that just because you aren't using something(an old truck) that you shouldn't be destructive and break out all the windows. It cost them a few hours of changing water and working in Grandma's yard. But they learned a great lesson. Teaching was one of his many talents, either by word or example.It is hard to imagine him not being here for mint harvest. And i always get a little teary when i drive by the shop and i know he wont' be there trying to put something back together, either with baling wire of JB weld.

Our children had the opportunity of living just a field way from Grandma and Grandpa when they were young. If i couldn't find them out in the yard i knew they had seen Grandpa or Grandma out in the yard and headed down to visit them. I will forever be grateful for the love and example they are to our family. Jack this isn't good bye, it's See you later...

GRANDPA-- GREAT

Grandpa Great, that's what our grand kids called Grandpa Jack. And that says it all. He is great... He was a great teacher, father, husband and friend . It just doesn't sound right Grandpa without Grandma, or Grandma without Grandpa. It has been a very hard day, but also a great time reminiscing about all the wonderful memories we have been blessed to share with him. He has left a example to live up to. It was hardest telling our children the news, because they all had the chance to be his shadow at one time or another while working on the farm. Grandpa was the epitome of an honest days work. He didn't like quiting in the middle of a job, he wanted to see it through to the end. and sometimes that end might be 12 or 1 o'clock in the morning.

We are so grateful to have the knowledge that we will all be together again. That knowledge is what will get us through these lonely and tough times. Grandpa Stand tall, you give us something to work towards. WE LOVE YOU!!!

and MISS YOU.

SPRING BREAK

My first activity in Utah was going to the festival of colors. It is a religious tradition that the Hindu's celebrate the beginning of spring or new life. They have a celebration where they perform different dances in traditional costumes, and a band plays music, religious hymns. Which they were pretty upbeat songs. They have traditional India culture types of food. There was a llama petty zoo . The llama symbolizes something to do with the Hindu religion, but I'm not quite sure what.

The funnest part is when the celebration starts by burning a demon, once the demon is on fire the celebration begins where you have all different colors of powdered chalk in bags and you throw it on those around you, hence the festival of COLORS. There were probably 2 to 3 thousand people there. We were right in the middle of the crowd. Pretty close to the demon.For about 5 minutes there is so much chalk dust in the air that you could hardly breath. I was trying real hard not to lose it. Since i am extremely claustrophobic, but i was pretty proud of myself. I did OK. We met up with a friend of Holly's, Adam Channer. And also Alan's close friend Molly Flynn. It was actually more like a rock concert, minus the hard rock. There was some what of a mosh pit, where people were body surfing. i actually got asked if i wanted to do it, but i of course declined. not that i wasn't tempted. but i could just see the headlines in our community paper. " 5o something Preschool teacher killed while body surfing." That would be the last time David let me go on spring break by myself. It really was quite fun and interesting.

group shot before the festival begins. Group shot after the festival.

And we tell our kids, they need to be good. It was really a kick.
Holly, Me and Aubri

There were at least a couple thousand people there. Totally Insane.

Our Road trip to Utah for spring break was a lot of fun. We had Fern who went with us to visit her Brothers, David, Tad, and her sister Gladys and a bunch of nieces , and also some of Lovell's family. She was a real trooper in helping keep Jack ( baby) occupied. He is just like any other kid, give him a phone and he can be on it for hours. he looks like he actually knows what to do with it.

Birthday

WOW! it has been a whole month since i blogged last. Things have been extremely busy. First off we got to go and celebrate McKay's 2nd birthday. It was lots of fun. He is such a cutie. Yaz did an awesome job on the train cake as you can see by the pictures. It was almost to cute to cut up, but it was really tasty.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!! McKay...We Love You

The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me for you ! I get to pick what I make for you, but it will be especially for you.**Here is the deal:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. You will receive it sometime this year.
4. You have no clue what it will be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.** The Catch
The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a FABULOUS homemade gift by me!!! So come and play along.