Harvest Time

While staying in Hawaii, we knew we wanted to go to a luau to see some of the local customs and try some of the local food.  We also knew the kids would have a blast!  And what better way to celebrate Mabon, harvest time (autumn equinox), then at a luau under the Harvest Full Moon.  

The girls were so excited to walk up to luau and get a seashell lei.  Here is Joss getting her Lei.

And Autumn getting her Lei.

First order of business.. drinks!  Parents got free Mai Tais and kids got all the juice they could drink.  Here they are getting their "sugar" on.

Here is Autumn sneaking another cup of juice, after being cut off!  LOL!  She must have drank about 10 cups of juice!  Notice her stained lips.

Josslyn joining right in with the Hula Girls.  Joss was in her glory!

And there is Auty following big sis.

Dinner time!!!

Dinner cooking in the ground. (pork)

Locals taking dinner out of the oven!!

And here he is!!  Joss and Auty were practically drooling.  While getting dinner at the buffet table, Josslyn said out loud, "I am a carnivore!"  People died laughing, especially after seeing her plate piled high with steak and pork.  lol

During dinner, the dancing began.  It was a phenomenal show!  From the hula dancers, moving with such elegance to the thrilling fire dance.  What a fun night!  

Joss danced right along with them the whole night!  She was entranced by them!

Joss was soo excited to meet the hula girl.... the highlight of her night!

And the perfect end to our first luau.

Update on Finding a New Place to Live

On our plane ride out to Hawaii, Jess and I put pen to paper and prioritized what it is we hope to find in a new place to live and raise our family.  We ranked them in order of importance and hope to stick to our guns.

1.  People - we want warm and welcoming people
2. Weather - want sun!!, but still want some changing seasons, not wild about a lot of snow or cold
3.  Outdoor Oriented - want lots of beautiful nature to enjoy, biking, jogging, rafting, etc.
4.  Strong Walk Score - want kids to bike or walk to school, walk to local coffee shop or grocery
5.  Affordable - don't want to need a killer job just to be able to afford a nice, simple place
6.  A place where the people "Work to Live", not "live to work" (laid back but not too much)
7.  In the Action - we want to feel like where we are is a destination, and not dead in the summer or winter
8.  Green/Progressive - want a focus on environment, also the people are open minded and accepting of others
9.  University Nearby - good for cultural options, plays, and keg parties!! ha ha
10.  Near a Major Airport - so we can travel easily and have friends and family visit often
11.  Water Water Somewhere -lakes or rivers are good, (decided we don't have to be near the ocean, like we originally thought)
12.  Job Opportunities - last but not least, we do need some money to live, ha ha

Our top choices at this point in the journey are:

Bend, Oregon,
Boulder/Louisville, Colorado,
Austin, Texas
Asheville, North Carlina

We have already lived in:

Bend, OR
Portland, OR
Pacific City, OR
Seattle, WA
Pacific Beach, WA

Had brief stays in Charleston, Chapel Hill, Carey, Oklahoma City, Flagstaff, Albuquerque , Salt Lake City, and Boise.

Such a difficult decision that at times it feels overwhelming but most of the time we just feel very fortunate to be able to visit and choose for ourselves.

A Thought

While watching some surfers do their thing, I realized surfing has some strong parallels to life.  Sitting in the water going up and down watching/waiting for the right wave can be fun.  Very fun!  But you do need to take a chance and pick a wave to really enjoy (life).  You may have more fun riding a number of smaller waves, rather than waiting for that one really big wave to come in.  I plan to catch as many waves as I can and take my family with.

Life is a Beach

Almost everyday that we have been on the Big Island of Hawaii, we have found ourselves at the beach.      After homeschooling Joss, we pack lunches, let Autumn take her nap on the way, then unload and carry a crap load of stuff to the "perfect" spot on the beach, and spend about 3 to 4 hours a day there body surfing, jumping the waves and building sand castles.  Then head back home to make cocktails and some dinnner.  We can definitely get used to this.  :)

Autumn showing off her stylish sunglasses at Kua Bay.

Erik looking good!! Catching a great wave!

Wipeout...

Kids watching Daddy relax for a second in the sand to catch his breath.

Kids loved watching us body surf.  They loved telling us which waves to catch.  Very cute.

Felt like such a kid again!!  I am hoping to try my hand at surfing while out here.  Scares me a little knowing how big these waves can get.  And when you get crushed once you don't forget.  My back is still sore!

I love watching them play together.  They have grown so close with each other on this trip. 

The sun is an amazing thing.  It really brings out the best in people.  We are all so much happier when it is a sunny day and we are outside enjoying it.

Love this picture.  

Joss and Auty, who have changed their names to Poet/Twilight and Joss to Willow/Bell, depending on the day, are here enjoying the end of the day at the beach.

And here they are beat and ready to go home.  :)

Our First Week on the Big Island

The first week on the Big Island of Hawaii has been pretty amazing!!  I think we are still in shock that we are here for a whole month!  The weather has been sunny and 85 everyday, with a low of 75 at night.  The beaches are incredible here.   The water is warm, clear, turquoise blue in color and have the best waves!

Here is Hapuna Beach, rated one of the top beaches in the U.S.! (they are right too) 

Autumn getting ready to snorkel.  

A beautiful day at the beach!  The kids had a blast playing in the sand and jumping the waves, as did we!

Fresh coconut water, right down the road from us!  

Joss enjoying a refreshing sip of ice cold coconut water.

Autumn drinking almost all the coconut water!  She couldn't get enough!

At the end we cut out the coconut meat and made some cocktails with it!  Yummy!!  

After a day at the beach, we threw this local fruit into the blender along with some rum and ice.  Life be good, man!!!

Autumn sucking on a lime from the yard.

A day at Kua Bay. Some of the most crystal clear waters we have eve seen!  And some of the biggest waves I have ever encountered!!

Joss trying out some bodysurfing!!

Auty too!

Joss and I bodysurfing together!  She was having soo much fun in the water! So was I!  I felt like a kid again!

The waves at Kua Bay were crazy!!  It was almost scary how big the waves were, but at the same time it was sooo much fun!!

I might be smiling here, but just after this I was hit pretty hard by a wave.  I was thrown around the ocean like a rag doll!

Erik trying his hand at body surfing.  Well played, well played indeed!

Having a great time!!  He too was thrown around like a rag doll :)

Auty loving the ocean!  

Auty doing a no handed downward dog!!  LOL!!

Aloha Hawaii!!!

After about 3 days of the stomach flu and trying to pack up the trailer at the same time, we were very happy to even make it to the airport on time.  We left our car at Erik's friend's (Sean Gowrie) house in Woodinville, Wa, who then drove us to the airport bright and early Sunday morning.  Autumn and Joss were soo excited to get on a plane and sit there for 6 hours watching movies.  :)  We were also excited to go somewhere new for the next month, not to mention an island called Hawaii!!

The kids after finding out we were only a few minutes away from landing in Hawaii!!

This is our friendly abode for the next month!!  It is the perfect island getaway!

Our new house pet, Gordon the Gecko..  He eats all the bugs, but also poops anywhere and everywhere.  

We all woke up in the wee hours of the morning, the first night there, since we were three hours earlier than Seattle.  We decided to take a shower in the outdoor shower! 

Our view from the upstairs bedroom, where everyone is sleeping together :)

Our backyard!  It is full of lime trees, avacado trees, a banana tree, mango trees, passion fruit vines and coconut trees!  Not only are there a lot of fruit trees, but there are also a lot of mosquitoes at dusk.  Autumn had been bit on her left foot, and it became soo swollen it actually bruised!!  Poor thing!

The view two miles down the street at Pololu Valley.  Gorgeous!!

Here is the actual valley.  Stunning!!  Loving Hawaii!!