I'm in a computer lab.

I'm sitting in a computer lab in the public library. I can't imagine how many germs are on the keyboard and embedded in the cushion of this chair. I am practically holding my breath as I sit here and type. The man two people down from me keeps making loud bodily noises. The woman next to me keeps asking me for help, loudly, so that the rest of the people in the lab turn and stare at us both. But, I just couldn't resist posting and letting you all know that we are officially Kansans.

I still have lots of fun stories to share with you when we get internet at home - including a parking ticket, the caravan, graduation, Hawaii, and our bug situation.

We have new cell phones and a new address. If you need the information, email me. Otherwise, I will hopefully be back to a more regular schedule of blogging next week.

Home again, for a week.

We made it home.

We boarded our plane at 10:00pm Tuesday (Hawaii time). About 2 hours later, the seat belt light came on, the flight attendants came around to tell us to sit down, and the ride became pretty bumpy.

I saw a flash of light outside, freaked, and woke Hubs up.

Me: We're in a storm! There's lightning outside!

Hubs: Really? He turns to look out one of the windows.

Me: See that flash of light?

Hubs: Um, Feath, that's just the blinking light on the wing of the airplane.

He fell back asleep, but I was not able to sleep for the remander of the flight.

Now, we are home; well, our home for 7 more days. We are busy packing starting to pack and make arrangements for our move. I can't wait to share more pictures and stories soon!

Aloha

Aloha! We are leaving Hawai'i in 5 hours and will arrive back on the mainland tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait to be back in the windy state of Nebraska, where I will not have to see the beautiful flowers of Hawai'i anymore. I hope it is super humid, too. I love that. It will be so nice to not go to the beach everyday...that was getting old. Actually, I told Hubs that I could live in Hawai'i - no problem. Living this life would suit me just fine.

Once again, I have pictures saved for future posts with fun stories to go along with. But, let me sum up our vacation for you, in case you were wondering what we actually did.

Went to the beach

I, personally, read over 2,560 pages. Hubs finished one book and is almost finished with his second.

Walked to the beach.

Walked to the grocery store.

Drove to the beach.

Hiked, once.

Beach.

Hang loose all. We'll see you soon.

A view

This video is from the top of our favorite hike on O'ahu, the Kuliouou Ridge Trail Hike. It is not for the faint-hearted - it ends with 153 very steep steps - however, the view is worth it.

Favorite Spot

Yesterday, we went to my favorite spot on the island. Yes, I am allowed to have a favorite spot having been here twice.

Our favorite spot has crystal clear water. You can see all the way to the bottom while you swim. The ocean is calm and although it drops pretty off into deep water very quickly, the entire floor is sand - no sharp rocks and coral or squishy seaweed like you find in Waikiki.

It is truly the our paradise on the island. The sand is beautiful here, too. Little, tiny, shiny pepples that you can sink your feet into without the fear of scraping your foot on a rock.

Yes, it is hard for us to believe that during the winter months we would merely look at the giant waves barrelling in with enough fear and anxiety to simply stay on the beach. We've only seen it like this - calm, and unable to resist the lure of the teal water. Sunset beach (aka: our favorite spot) is only 1 mile from the Bonzai Pipeline, where some of the best surfing in the world takes place during the winter months.



We've noticed that all the local dogs love the ocean. We saw one in Waikiki jump off the very high groin (think of a cement pier) right into the water where he remained until his owner drug him out. The dog in the picture also loved the water. He swam out with his owner past the teal water to the beautiful blue areas, his dog right along with him. At times, we saw his dog resting on his surfboard.

Hubs and I had been a little disappointed by the lack of sunshine our bodies were absorbing, so I opted to use 4spf tanning oil, while Hubs didn't use a thing. Finally, I am looking tan. Hubs, however, didn't get the same results. He is feeling a little tender today and looking more like a cherry than a beach bum.

The past week.

I plan to extensively blog on the events of last week, but until then I did want to pass along fun pictures to remind you that I will be back...someday soon.

Hubs gradumated (no, that is not a typo but just me being silly)! It was a wonderful feeling seeing my Hubs up there getting hooded as they read off his long list of awards and achievements. Too bad I didn't get a picture of my shoes...

I was up early setting up for the big shin-dig, which went well. We were able to see lots of friends and family - the entire point of the night. We did have a little fun, too!

I fell into bed, exhausted, only to wake up and have another two full days of activities until I found myself here on Tuesday morning.

Now we are forcing each other to relax and enjoy doing whatever we want until Tuesday. Life will be waiting for us back home.

Relaxation

I didn't relax when the house was clean. I wasn't even all that excited when we boarded the plane. It was a different feeling this time. I couldn't see out the window as we landed. The excitement just wasn't there. As we gathered our luggage, I still wasn't relaxed and ready to vacation. And, when we picked up the convertible I just didn't get all that excited.

But when we turned into the neighborhood of our Hawai'i home, then, I finally knew being here was a good thing. The breeze from the ocean reached our hair, gently bringing with it the smell of salt water. As we walked into the house, memories immediately flashed into our minds. We stepped into the backyard: this is vacation.

I can finally relax.