So, we have been talking about renewing our vows for 10 years. We actually had the pleasure of renewing them at our 10 year anniversary; our old church offered couples a chance to renew their vows over the Valentine’s weekend. To us, it was just a spur-of-the-moment activity that we thought would be fun to do before heading out on a rare quiet dinner date. I basically signed us up and told Mike we were going. I seem to recall him grumbling just a bit and asking lots of questions about how and why were doing this. (He doesn’t recall that, but I definitely do!:) The funny thing is, neither of us had any idea how meaningful those 15 minutes would be. Recommitting your lives to each other after spending 10 years together with some really high peaks and (fortunately just a few) really low valleys it turns out, can leave one’s heart a bit torn open, in a wonderful way. We decided to do it again, and this decade, we would take the time to appreciate the meaning of this special ceremony. Of course, I had a few ideas Continue reading
Day 17 – Hapuna Beach State Park
We had yet another wonderful day in paradise this Tuesday. Again, we woke up and lounged around our house all morning watching the glorious day unfold over the ocean. Continue reading
Day 16 – Nothing Much

Day 15 — Heading to our wonderful birthday dinner at Ulu’s The Four Seasons
I was the first one up this morning – a rare occurrence in this household of early risers. I have been looking forward to waking up in this house for a looooong time. Unlike on the mainland, my favorite time of the day in Hawaii is the morning. I love the cooing doves as they discuss their plans for the day, the palm fronds swaying gently in the wind overhead, and the way the morning sun reflects off the ocean when you are facing west. I wanted to Continue reading
Day 15 – Home Away From Home
This was a big big day for us. Not just because we were going to the Big Island. It was Dan’s 16th birthday. It was a travel day. We had a fabulous dinner planned for Dan’s birthday. Oh, and we just happened to be going to our most favorite place Continue reading
A Beating Heart
This. This right here. This blog post is probably the very reason my now 16 year old son was terrified when he realized that his mother was starting a blog. Because… what else could I possibly write about besides my two kids? Moms don’t really think Continue reading
Day 14 – Tubing and Surfing

Day 13 Family Photo: Overlooking Kalalau Valley at the end of the road if you’re driving to the top.
Aloha! I feel the need to clarify something on this blog. I have posted quite a few pictures of Casey expressing herself freely on this trip, mostly because we find them hilarious. But we only find them hilarious because, actually, she is having a great time. And we are having a wonderful time with her! Yes, she has needed Continue reading
Day 13 – Waimea Canyon
So, last night ended with the death of Mike's only power cord for his computer; rendering his two work computers useless as of today and therefore leaving his pictures trapped on his camera. Yes, he has more than one computer and Continue reading
Day 12 – Polihale State Park

Day 11 Family Photo: We had a wonderful dinner at Keoki’s Paradise last night. Awesome ambience, great service and delicious fish! We decided to do a nighttime photo for a change of pace; Bird was tired so she got a little giddy for the photo, as you can see here.
This morning we were all lazy and relaxed, except for poor Michael who once again had to work today. Dan and I picked up Starbucks and then he fell back asleep while I got organized. It was actually quite nice to have a lazy morning. Continue reading
Day 11 — Sea Life

Day 10 Family Photo; on our back porch.
Days 9 and 10: Poipu and Terrifying Moment #3
Day 8 Family Photo: At the Mololo’a Fruit Stand for lunch
So, I decided to take a day off of the blog since it was a travel day. Yesterday, (Monday) we moved from the North Shore to the South Shore of Kauai. We had to check out of Hanelei Bay Resort by 10 am and couldn’t check in until 3 pm in Poipu. We also had some errands to run so it was just a ‘regular day on the island’. Continue reading



