WIENCKEN EXCURSION

This is the Wiencken family - Larry's 2nd great grandparents and the cute little girl up front is Larry's great grandmother.

Today we visited a few of them.  We cleaned their headstones, there was a lot of lichen growing on them, and tidied up the surrounding area.

I cut some of Grandma Betty's peonies this morning from our garden and we took them to the cemetery.  They looked gorgeous by the headstones.

I printed images of the family members so that it would help put a face to a name for my man clan.  It was such a great family history excursion.  They want to know more about these family members now and that thrills me!

You don't associate the word "darling" with a cemetery, but this one really is.  It is beautiful, old and oh so charming. 
Today was a good, good day.

SNEAK PEEK - METAL CHAIRS

Having these chairs and table painted white has been on my wishlist for a while, so I was absolutely delighted that I was going to get that wish this weekend.

BEFORE

AFTER

1.  I'm thankful my husband chose this project for my Mother's Day present.
2.  White paint makes me so happy!
3.  I can't stop smiling when I look outside at them.

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO CELEBRATE

my cute niece, Alivia's birthday.  I can't believe she is 15!

Alivia is 

smart

beautiful

loving

talented

a fashionista 

and

has a delicious quick wit

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALIVIA!

WE LOVE YOU!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I'm so thankful for these two amazing and beautiful ladies.  

They are wonderful mothers and amazing grandmothers.  

They are talented, loving, funny, giving, supportive, 

thoughtful and a great example to our families. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 

OMA NANNY AND GRANDMA JOAN!

WE LOVE YOU!!

WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE IT'S A BONFIRE

on the cake.

He won't tell what his birthday wishes were but I hope they come true!

Even though it's not bonfire worthy, we still had to open the doors and windows to air out the smoke.

One of the highlights of the party were our cute dads and their lap dogs.

We ate rootbeer float cake and drank rootbeer floats too.  We had presents, balloons and lots of family to help celebrate the birthday boy.  Three cheers for a wonderful year for my man!

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO CELEBRATE

because it's Larry's birthday!!

Larry is the best guy a girl could ask for.

He is

loving and kind

talented

a jack of all trades

interesting and interested

a loyal friend

spiritual and faithful

adventurous 

admirable

funny

and

an incredible husband and father

WE LOVE YOU LARRY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO CELEBRATE

my brother's birthday.

Steve is

adventurous and loves to travel

goofy and funny

will happily debate video games with my Landon

an awesome uncle

will drive 30 minutes to get you a diet coke

thoughtful and loving

fondly known as The Steve, Stevie-Poo, Taco Steve and The Pelican

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVIE-POO!

WE LOVE YOU!!

THESE TWO LOVEBIRDS ARE CELEBRATING THEIR ANNIVERSARY

46 years!

Happy anniversary mom and dad!

We love you!

POLE VAULTING

Laird is improving so much from last year.  It's really fun watching him compete in his meets.  His PR is 9'9".  His goal for this season is to break 10'6" - and when he does, we're celebrating!

POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER

PCC is the coolest! If you have never been, put it on your list to do - you'll be so glad you did!

Our favorite PCC employee - Apele!

In the Tahitian Village, we discovered that Tahitian Coconut Bread is vegan.  So good, and they even give you the recipe!

We HAD to take a picture with a Fijian warrior in the Fiji Village.  Fiji hold such a special place in our hearts.

Ice cold coconut water and learning the hula.

We were practicing our New Zealand eyes.  This picture cracks me up!

We were at PCC the whole day, from open until close. One of my favorite parts was getting a ukulele lesson!

KAWELA BAY AND SHARK'S COVE

Seriously, the COOLEST banyan trees! These trees have been seen in Lost and Pirates of the Caribbean.

This bay was seen in Catching Fire.

Snorkeling at Shark's Cove!

VALLEY OF THE TEMPLE MEMORIAL PARK

The Byodo-In Temple is a smaller-scale replica of a 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, in Uji, Japan.
It took my breath away when I saw it. It is tucked away at the base of the Ko'olau Mountains and is stunning.
Inside the temple there is a 9 foot tall Buddha. Before you enter the temple, you ring a sacred bell.  They say ringing the bell will purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation and that it will bring you happiness, blessings, and a long life.   

LAIE, HAWAII TEMPLE

This is one of my favorite temples.  It is so beautiful and peaceful. 

I love meandering on the grounds - beautiful flowers, green foliage, amazing breeze and blue, blue skies. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.