dianegclark

We went to Lander with Hannah and her family late September, early October. It was an amazing time.

We flew into Denver early Saturday morning and picked up a rental van. It was fancy and new. We spent the day with the kids

Sunday we packed up the van and drove everyone to Lander. We stopped on the way to hike at Vedauwoo and had a picnic.

The kids stayed with Dawn and John and we stayed at the little cabin at Grass River Retreat. We loved it.

The next day we went to Sinks Canyon where the river goes below rocks and the highway then comes out on the other side. The trout love it. We fed them then went on a short easy hike through the aspens.

The next day was our hard hike up a mountain to see the waterfalls. It was absolutely breathtaking. We stopped at the top and took turns doing cold plunges and Kent even rode the waterfall down. the kids rock scrambled naked.

We went up to see the kids’ cabin and where they plan to build. It took a half hour through windy curves on a gravel road then everyone piled into the truck for another half mile of four wheeling to get to the cabin. It is very rustic, the sage brush not cleared at all, no electricity or running water. It was too windy to have a campfire as planned.

We had a campfire at the cabin on evening.

We got to interact with so much nature. Deer came up into the yard at the cabin and there were ducks, chickens, dogs, and llamas.

The last day we kayaked at a small lake way up high in the mountains. Didn’t matter how freezing cold it was, the kids got naked and got in the water.

The last night we stayed in a yurt. We went out to eat at a fabulous restaurant downtown for John’s birthday and the rest of the time Dawn fed us lunch and dinner.

I loved every minute.

I haven’t posted in so long! So much has happened!

Our youngest Grandbabies, Otis and George, Leah’s youngest and Hannah’s youngest, both turned 1 this summer.

Leah had knee surgery having injured it playing indoor soccer just before she opened her toy store and had the surgery just before Otis turned one. It’s been a challenge! I tried to go up as much as I could to help. Dave’s Mom has been a rock star!

Emmet turned 9 this summer—can you believe it? And Henry turned 7! In a few weeks Eleanor turns 5! They are the most amazing, loving, smart, creative, fun kids. Love them so much.

Hannah’s Junie turned 3 at the start of the summer and not long after, George turned 1. Hannah still gets to stay home all but 3 days per month. Kent gets Wednesdays off. They have come here three times this year and we go there frequently also! They are both unique, sweet, loving amazing g kids too!

Joel and Kayla got married in October. It was a beautiful, fun, touching ceremony in KC. We go up to KC frequently and we see them at all the birthday parties in Newton. Joel has shifted to doing more game development on his own. Kayla works in publishing in KC.

Mom has been at Foundation Park for two and a half years now. We really like it there. Mom is well taken care of. She’s doing well overall considering she’s 94 and a half. She has had a few falls so uses her walker now and struggles with her memory but not terribly. We go see her every day and even though it can be hard to watch her age, we are grateful for every moment we have with her.

Scott has not retired. He plans to work closer to Medicare age. We play pickleball in the league once a week which is super fun. We take Wilson for a walk almost every day also, our favorite place is the woods behind the high school.

I am still seeing client at Ethos three days a week, 11-5. I am carrying a bit more than I like currently because my buddy Jamie left to move home to South Dakota. She got her dream job—mental health first responder at the police department and she also gets to be a cop! We miss her terribly at Ethos. We still have three other therapists and two Life Coaches (Scott does some). I am hoping to wind down about the time my lease runs out. I will still see clients by telehealth so we have flexibility to travel.

We love to travel. We went to St Lucia in February and are planning. Trip to Wyoming in September and return to Maui in January.

That’s mostly it!

Last Saturday I took off on a little adventure to see all three kids. I even took an entire week off of work!

I started out at Joel’s in KC. It was a beautiful day for a hike so we did! We walked all along Hyde Park near his home, all the way to The Nelson Art Gallery, and ended at a coffee shop in Westport where we had a great chat.

I left Joel’s to head to my friend Ginger’s house in Roeland Park. Lexie got back ended on the way which pissed me off but she didn’t sustain any damage so after getting out in the middle of traffic on 39th street to check, I told the other driver, who had NOT gotten out of her car, all was well. She said “sorry”.

I toured Ginger’s house which we realized I had never seen and she’s loved there 20 years! Ginger and I drove to Leavenworth where we looked at some places I’d lived then went to our mini reunion. It was good to see people and a few others attended as well. We met in the coolest barn!

We drove back to Ginger’s where I spent the night and we chatted briefly in the morning.

I headed back to Joel’s and he and Kayla and I went Mildred’s, a cool breakfast place in Kcks.

I left KC to return home to pack.

Monday morning early, Wilson and I headed to Denver.

Kent was out of town so I hung out all week with Hannah and Junie. I loved every minute.

We went on three hikes, painted, shopped, did two cold plunges, some Forest Bathing, walks, ate and watched good tv.

I left Denver on Friday and drove what seemed like forever to Leah’s in North newton. Scott and Dave were there having gone to Wichita to taste coffee and they took Wilson home with them. We had dinner and I stayed the night. The kids and I played with blocks went on a snail hunt and I taught them a few kickboxing moves.

I had such an amazing week and a half and I love my family so much

It was only two months ago that I drove by Foundation Park after meeting a friend at Colbert Hills for a drink. Mom had been talking about feeling lonely and wanting to check out retirement communities again. Se we made an appointment to visit.

I loved it right away. The staff was so friendly, the facilities beautiful, the family style patient centered approach perfect. A little dog greeted us at the door. They said Mom could take her piano. There appeared to be potential friends there, a swat resident in the kitchen doing dishes. Mom seemed to love it too.

Then she set her mind against it. Hard. She was convinced the rooms were too small. She wanted to look at all the options. She stopped listening to me and I stopped listening to her. Meanwhile, she got more afraid at home, wobblier on her feet, less able to retain and process information. She started making random calls with her phone.

I did make some calls to other places which just convinced me more that this was the right decision. Slowly, she came around. In just 6 weeks time, she wanted to from hard no to “I think I’ll love being pampered here.”

The entire process of transitioning to assisted living has gone smoothly but was still incredibly stressful. first it was deciding what furniture to take, what would fit in the room. Then it was filing the insurance claim to see if it was even financially feasible. Calls and forms and visits to the doctor for assessments, writing out mom’s limitations. The stress took its toll and she began slipping even more, lost the ability to text.

The came the process of sorting out all of her belongings, seeing what I wanted to keep and what the kids and grandkids wanted. I reconnected with Glenn to see what he wanted. It was so hard to see all the memories and know we couldn’t keep it all. Even though she had downsized when she moved to Manhattan 7 years ago, there was so much junk mixed in the precious memories and keepsakes, antiques that had been on the family for generations, photos galore, all of Lee’s belongings, his momentous and photos. It was dainting. The house became a shambles.

The moving day went fairly smoothly. The piano went first the day before. The furniture we had chosen fit nicely in the room. Settling I was hard for her. She couldn’t see and couldn’t remember where things were. Her stress made her demanding of all of us. We all did the best we could with the staff reassuring us.

She’s been there two weeks now. She continues to demand but it’s because she can’t remember what or who she’s asked until we made a list. She can find things now. She has adjusted her schedule some but also insisted on some things which is fine.

It’s not perfect. Most of the residents are below her in functioning so she’s much safer and well taken care of, she says she’s still lonely. She’s eating better so she has more energy which makes her bored. Her vision is really going so it’s hard to enjoy the things she did before like words with friends. She is making friends despite the challenges.

We go see her daily. The estate sale happens soon so she’s having to accept that we can’t run to the house to grab things she thinks of anymore. Going to the house is so hard. It’s a total wreck. It would devastate her and I have to tell her no, she can’t make another run there. I had to make so many hard decisions about what to keep and what to toss. It’s hard for me not to grab more and more when I’m there.

The kids came up and each were able to take quite a few things that meant something to them. I gathered a ton of precious things for Glenn. He said that meant so much to him. We grabbed the genealogy stories and the old photo albums. We have yet to go through all her old paperwork and her computer.

I had a dream that I took the K-state women’s team coffee for their practice. I’m sure I could do it due to the NIL agreement Brother’s has with the team. In my dream I was trying to figure out how to stack up all the to-go carriers. Two hours later, awake, I got an email from my old friend, Cheri, inviting me to join her as honorary coach. I answered, “Yes!!!!!”

Cheri and another old friend, Mary Beth, both also former school social workers, picked me up at 12:30. Both are huge K-State fans. Cheri is the President of the Salina Catbackers club, having moved there 6 years ago. They had an auction and she got the Honorary Coach tickets and thought Mary Beth and I would enjoy it. Understatement! We were ridiculously excited on the way over.

We were treated like queens starting with parking. We met one of the coaches, Greyson, at the door. He took us down to the floor to our seats behind the bench. The girls were having a pre-practice shoot around. Sarena Sundell and Taryn Sikes were doing a one-on-one at the basket nearest us and they were laughing and having a great time. We watched as male players who had on numbered practice pennies circled up at the other basket. Two of the coaches were instructing them. Mike Nicholson, Chief of staff, came over to explain to us that these guys were volunteers. They wore the numbers of the opponents the girls were going up against and the coaches were telling them the defense the other team would be using. He said the girls were currently back watching game film.

Cheri, Mary Beth and I took silly pictures of us pretending to coach from the bench and went out into the middle of the court and took a picture of us creating K-S-U. We were laughing so hard.

Eventually the team came back out and we got to move closer. They did a warm up drill. Mikayla Parks came over and introduced herself to us. She was not practicing with the team. Mikayla was very warm and friendly. She explained that the girls had an ongoing contest with the drill to get as many baskets as possible in the allotted time, first from the sides, then the free throw line, then the 3 point line. She said their record was over 140. The girls wear talking, counting, and encouraging each other. It was so fun to watch.

Coach Mittie then had the girls run the offensive drill, “Cleveland” again and again against the volunteer guys. He’d call in 5 players then substitute the other fice. We noticed that Ayoka Lee was not suited out and was watching practice. Mikayla explained that she was taking a much needed break saving herself for tougher games ahead. Apparently Ayoka, whose nickname is Yoki, took her off day seriously and must have considered that to include interacting with us. I knew Ayoka to be friendly and gregarious but she was quiet and kept to herself all day.

When they ran the defense, Coach yelled, specifically at Eliza Maupin who he said wasn’t in the right place. It would take some thick skin to play at this level. Eliza handled it just fine.

Mikayla answered our questions about practice and the players. She said most of the players live in athletic housing which is nearby and part of Jardine. She said she and “the twins” (Jaelyn “Jae” and Brylee Glenn) live off campus together. She said Ayoka lives in her own house because “she’s a grown up.” I knew that Ayoka is a grad student who already has a master’s degree and is working as a marriage and family therapist locally.

Mikayla said her parents come to most of her games and that her brother just signed with KU. She joked about the holidays at home now are a house divided.

We also met two assistant coaches, both named Ebony, who were very friendly and welcoming. The blonde Ebony told me she liked my hair.

After practice, I had run to the restroom and when I returned, the girls were in the center of the court in a bunch and they all began yelling at me to “Come on”, clapping, and high fived me when I ran up. They gathered around us and introduced themselves to us. I told Kennedy Taylor she is my favorite to watch because of her enthusiasm and how she talks and encourages the other players on the court.

We took group photos and one with Sarena who chatted with us awhile longer. She said her parents come to every game including away games and that is complicated because her brother just signed with the Seattle Seahawks. She said she has one more year at K-State then hopes to try out for the WNBA but is open to playing overseas also. Mary Beth congratulated Sarena on her record of second in assists. I hadn’t realized as that had gotten buried in Ayoka’s setting the record of high scorer for KState women basketball. At the last home game.

After practice we were invited to join the team for lunch in the Shamrock room on the concourse. On the way up the steps, I told Taryn who was walking next to me that I measured my fitness by how out of breath I was at the top of the stairs. She said she also got out of breath at the top. I complimented her on “dropping all the three pointers” Tuesday night and she thanked me. During the group picture on the floor, I said, “hey! You’re my height!” When I saw the photo after, I see that she was bending down.

We went through the buffet line and filled our plates with delicious food. I encouraged Imani Lester to take more and she laughed. The girls all sat together at a long table. I joined Coach Ebony and Elisabeth Brown who I knew from our NIL agreement and Madison Pahls, Director of Women’s Basketball administration at a 4 top table. We chatted about how they’d each worked their way up to their current positions. They all had a lot of experience!

After lunch, we met up again with Greyson and he took us on a tour of the practice facility called the Ice Family Basketball Center. It was so fancy and high scale! The lobby had tall windows and a giant EMAW sign and trophy cases and pictures of past coaches. It had two giant spiral staircases. Greyson explained that the right half of the building was the women’s side and the left side the men’s side.

We went through doors and turned right into the locker room. The first room had the girls names and photos on the wall, comfortable leather coaches and a big tv and a table and chairs. Brylee Glenn was curled up with blankets on one of the couches playing on her phone.

The locker room itself had a big wildcat painted on the floor. The lockers were luxurious wood and fancy lighting. The first thing we noticed were all the shoeboxes lined up in each one. Most of the players had a bunch of worn uniforms and clothes hanging on the outside and were a bit messy. I noticed that Tamira Poindexter’s locker was neat as a pin.

The bathrooms and showers were fairly basic other than the shower heads being super high.

We saw the practice gym with the coaches offices above, windows so they could look down on the courts and a glass lined balcony above. There was a whole room dedicated to snacks that had a person working at it and a dietician office next door. There was a small auditorium for watching game film.

We saw the trainers room with tables for stretching. Beyond that room Greyson explained were the hot tub and cold plunge pools. He said they had a platform to lower the players down and a treadmill at the bottom they could run on. He said that each of the players wore a chip that monitored all of their bodily functions that were tracked closely during games to prevent injuries. We saw the trainer sitting at the computer during the game monitoring the player’s chips.

We saw the weight room, shared by both teams, with state of the art equipment. Each of the machines had an iPad so each player could track their individual work outs. I was impressed by a big cage that had grab bars for stretching any part of your body. I of course tried it out.

We saw the men’s gym, similar to the womens’. Greyson pointed out that a lighted rack of basketballs that could track a number of things including number of baskets made.

We left after the tour for a break. When we returned, we went down to our seats just behind the bench. We had passes that allowed us to go along the floor and into the tunnel to use the restroom. I said hello to my friend Mary Stamey who sat at the scorers table and our friend Brian Smoller who announced for ESPN. Old friend Kurt Moldrup, RCPD Director and head of security also stopped by for a hug and chat.

At 6:00, we went to the tunnel to use the restroom and wait. We sang the National Anthem and the Alma Mater, laughed and still giddy with excitement. At 6:15, Elisabeth summoned us and shushed us and took us to the team locker room (not the practice one, this one was not as fancy and smaller). She showed us where to stand quietly. The girls were sitting lined along each side, those dressed out to play and those not, who were intently listening to Coach Mittie at the white board. I had expected a rousing encouraging pregame speech but that wasn’t what he did. Instead, he was addressing each player one by one, explaining their opponents by number and giving very detailed explanations and directions. It was completely over my head, like he was speaking an entirely different language. He knew exactly how each opponent played offense and defense and told the girls how to play them. I was impressed.

He finished and the girls got in the huddle and said, “Go Cats” and that was it! They all went out one door and we went out another. We waited in the purple lighted hallway next to the tunnel with the girls. They were jovial and relaxed and joked around with each other. I was video taping with my phone next to the camera man (our friend JJ). At one point, Jaelyn looked out and said, “We’re on the Jumbotron.” We could hear the team being announced and the girls ran past us. The coaches were following, yelling “Go Cats!” and making the wildcat hand sign.

We followed, took a pic next to the court with Willie the Wildcat, then took our seats behind the bench. It was fun watching the starting line up being announced from our seats. Honestly, Scott’s and my regular season ticket second row middle seats were better for watching the game other than seeing the girls come off the court and high five their teammates and coaches. The assistant coaches kept standing up with the GOAT in the air every time the other team was prevented from scoring and then we couldn’t see the game. It happened a lot. The girls won by 75 points.

I wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything. Several people jokingly told us what a great job we did coaching due to the point spread. I was a fan before, but now, knowing and being impressed by all that goes on behind the scenes, I am an even bigger fan.

Go Cats!

I love an adventure. Last time I went to Denver, Hannah and Kent took me up to a lake waaaay up in the mountains called Loch Lamont. What an adventure!

We packed a picnic lunch and put 2 year old June and 3 month old George in car seats, Hannah squished between them, into their Subaru SUV. We drove up I 70 and turned off onto a windy road and then after about 45 minutes, Hannah said to me, “Mom, the road up there is pretty bumpy so I’m gonna need you to center your monkey.” I had no concept of what she was talking about until I did. We basically four wheel drove up a steep, windy, rocky, bumpy road for 30 minutes. It was the kind where when you meet another vehicle, you have to find a place to pull to the side to make room and hope no one slips off into the trees. And every vehicle we met was a jeep or a bronco or a big truck, all much more prepared to drive on this terrain. Hannah sat in the back holding onto the kids’ heads so they didn’t bonk the sides of the car seats. It was crazy and fun!

We reached the top and unloaded our picnic stuff and all the baby things and walked over boulders and rocks and chose a place near the water. The lake was beautiful, clear water, surrounded by hills that the clouds floated over, with a big waterfall. We took turns putting on our swimsuits there in the woods and taking cold plunges. Junie is an outdoor gal so she threw rocks and took on and off her shoes. Both skipped naps so we had some challenges but it was so much fun.

I love Denver and mountains and I am so grateful that my kids are outdoor people and include me on such fun adventures, this one that I’ll never forget.

Several weeks ago, we went to Kansas City for the weekend and to the wedding of Scott’s best friend Jon’s daughter. Friday night we went to dinner at Brookline Barrio with Joel and Kayla then checked into Crossroads Hotel in downtown KC, MO. What a fabulous hotel! It was all done in black metal and brick with amazing light fixtures.

The next morning we met Joel and Kayla again and my best friend Ginger at First Watch in Westport for breakfast. Ginger and I sat in our hotel lobby and chatted after, the best talk I’ve had with anyone in a very long time. Ginger was my maid on honor and Jon was Scott’s best man in our wedding. We got to see them both in one weekend.

The wedding was one of the best events I’ve been to in a long time. The ceremony was a traditional mass at Christ the King Affirming Church not too far from our hotel. It was so cool that the girls got a full mass and their families were so wonderfully supportive.

Right after the ceremony, we went into the side yard for cocktails and were entertained by a full mariachi band. I loved it! We were asked to follow them inside and were entertained by Mexican dancers too! I loved that, too!

Then we were asked to follow them outside where we threw lavender and had a parade behind the band and dancers to a restaurant nearby, Fox and Pearl. It was the best meal I think I’ve ever eaten. We were met at the door with tequila shots and then sat at two long tables with beautiful decorations and wine. We had cocktails and more tequila shots, all we could drink. We had three courses of appetizers, four courses of entree’s, and three courses of dessert. It took 2 1/2 hours and i think we ate and drank the entire time.

We then ubered to the Green Lady Lounge and listened to jazz. Then ubered back to the hotel and went up on the roof. We could see all of Kansas City all lit up.

Did I mention that all of this, including the dinner and hotel was paid for by the couple? We felt so spoiled and honored to be a part of this special event.

Whew! I’m so behind writing! There have been some very writeable events so I will catch up. Let’s start with two additions to the family.

George Scott Scarince was born the first week of May. Hannah was induced so I got to be in town. I spent some amazing time with Junie. There is something about being a grandparent in the parent role without the parents around. I got to eat every meal with her and do her bath and read to her and tuck her into bed. Baby George needed a little help with his breathing so spent 5 days in the NICU. Hannah and Kent stayed at the hospital for two days, then Hannah stayed only the nights there and the two traded off going back and forth during the days. I did get to meet him and hold him before I left to return home. I’ve been up to visit two more times since then, once with Scott and twice on my own. Such precious times. He has chubby cheeks like a chipmunk and loves to be held. He is, at 3 months, now in the cooing and smiling stage. Hannah and Kent already take their kids on adventures to parks and lakes and on hikes and even bike rides. I got to go with them for several!

Otis Scott Gaeddert was born six weeks later. Leah was also induced and then had an unplanned c section so once again, I/we got to spend a few extra days stepping into the parenting role with Emmet, Henry, and Eleanor. They were angels for us. We visited the hospital every day. I stayed for an extra day when they got home. Adjusting to 4 kids was a bit harder than expected especially since Otis has reflux and a tongue tie. He was extremely fussy until they figured all of this out and got him some help. I went down one other time and spent 4 days helping. I haven’t gotten to go back but we will see all for Eleanor’s 4th birthday coming up very soon.

I am so proud of the kids and our grandkids—6 now in total! They are all so precious. I forgot how tiring young kids are and I am reminded why God gives kids to young people. I love playing with the kids and reading to them and tucking them in. Emmet is now 8, Henry 6 and Eleanor almost 4. So our Grandkids are 8,6,4,2 and 2 babies. And Joel and Kayla haven’t even started yet!

About nine months ago my friend Hilary said “Let’s take Pickleball lessons through “UFM” and I said yes. We took 2, two hour lessons, a week apart and I was hooked. Hilary only played a few weeks more before leaving town then getting injured.

We started at Douglass center where the rumor is they are more patient with beginners. I then started going on my own to Anthony Community Center. There are a mix of skills there and everyone is welcoming. I am now in several group meeting apps. I enjoy driving to Wamego and play outdoors and do so one to two times per week. . For about 8 weeks, I played at Genesis. There were some beginners initially, but it started to be mostly higher level players. I felt I was a huge liability but I stuck with it. Some people didn’t really want to play with me but were gracious.

They say Pickleball is an old person’s sport because really it’s a sport about skill and expertise and not necessarily athleticism. Young people are playing more, and definitely quickness and agility are a factor.

I play two to three times a week for about an hour and a half each time. My skills were clearly behind almost all of the others when I started. I didn’t play tennis or racquetball only ping-pong, so I feel like I was at a disadvantage. I also had difficulty figuring out whether to wear contacts glasses, bifocals, trifocals, or sunglasses and that’s been challenging. But the longer I’ve played and the more pointers I’ve gotten, and the more experienced gain, I’m keeping up and improving.

Pickleball is a mind game. When I first started playing, there was so much to think about. Where to stand, what the score is, who serves next. I felt anxious and overwhelmed and bad for the other people trying to get a fun volley going. At some point, I decided to just have fun. This positively affected my playing.

I’ve also noticed that I have to focus on the ball and keep my mind focused on the ball at all times or I miss it. So once muscle memory started to kick in, and some of these things like keeping the paddle in ready position and scoring became second nature, then I could start focusing on hitting the ball where I where I want to hit the ball. Now my serves are landing almost every time and my returns are at about 90 to 95%. I can run up to the kitchen line and hit the ball about 80% of the time. Certainly there are some things I need to improve on. Like returning shots at the feet or the fast ones down the middle line. But these are hard for everyone. I would love to take some lessons and will take that opportunity the second I get it. I feel like people are less frustrated with playing with me now and I feel less anxious while playing.

I have gotten my feelings hurt a few times. There was a guy coming to teach lessons and the organizer said I wasn’t ready for intermediate lessons. That hurt. Then Once at Genesis, a guy started poaching every shot, meaning he came over, got in front of me and took the shots I was meant to get without giving me a chance. I said, “a I can get those,” and I think he felt bad. Another time I hit a really bad shot into the net. The very nice gentleman I was playing with sort of snapped at me. “you hit it down!” Then he felt bad and overly complimented me the next 5 shots and I felt patronized. When I’ve played with him previously, he has been very positive and encouraging.

Once in the group chat, a friend, or at least I felt we were making friends, asked who wanted to partner for a tournament. I private messaged her and she said yes. Two days later she messaged backing out saying an old friend was coming to town who wanted to play. She ended us playing with someone else.

I’m super excited for Scott to be able to join me again after he gets his cataract surgery and he can see the ball. I think this will increase my enjoyment tremendously. I feel bad when I leave him sitting at home if I drive over to Wamego in the evening or on the weekends. My favorite time to play is Friday mornings at the community center.

I’m so glad I found the sport and took it up to add to my kickboxing. It’s a great way to stay active and I’m also beginning to form a social community. Starting to remember names and faces and connect them.

Two years ago when Scott and I went to Maui, we knew we wanted to share it with the kids, take the whole family. This December we did just that. We took all four kids and their partners and all 4 grandkids to Maui.

Joel, Kayla, Leah, Dave, Emmet, Henry, Eleanor, Scott and I flew out of Kansas City through Phoenix, to Maui. A very long day of travel. The kids did so well! Eleanor sat between us and colored most of the way. We took some selfies, ate snacks, watched Bluey and she took a tiny nap. The boys sat on either side of Joel and played games the whole way. Hannah, Kent and June met us there. June cried for two hours on their way.

We stayed at Grace Vacation condos where we stayed before in three separate units right on the ocean. The kids were duly impressed as we had hoped and we spotted a whale from the window the first day.

We played in the waves the first day. The tide was out and even the littles got in the water. The second day we went to the beach near our condo and built sand castles. The littles could play in the water in the shallow because of the reefs.

Each night we took turns cooking and ate in the condo. We watched sunsets and saw the amazing rainbows from the patio.

We visited several beaches, all gorgeous and impressive. The kids played in the waves, snorkeled, swam with sea turtles, and Kent saved a guy’s life who was struggling way out in the ocean. Three of us got knocked on our hiney’s by the waves and lost our sunglasses. The littles played in the sand.

A big highlight was the night we went for dinner to Mama’s fish house on the road to Hana. From the valet parking, the view, the food and the service, to the amazing dessert, I was impressed. We had three people serving our table and new silverware for every course. The bill was impressive too.

Another highlight was the aquarium. It was so fun to watch the kids marvel over the ocean life.

Spending a week with all the kids and grands in such a beautiful place was such a blessing. We created memories of a lifetime. We found out that Leah is also expecting, one month after Hannah is due.