A Mad Dash About the Island

Daddy's sister Katherine and her daughter Sarah arrived the day of the hat and tie party, making it a truly red letter day for our little circus. Anytime you can combine a party (especially one with a bounce house!) and vistors' arrival, you're approaching nirvana, at least as far as Kathleen is concerned. And visitors don't get better than cousins. Kathleen decided that very first night that bedtime stories were best read by Sarah. Kathleen endeavored to spend every waking moment with "her Sarah and Kack" -- and some days came close!

We spent that first evening up on the North Shore, checking out the sea turtles and enjoying a tasty dinner at our favorite Thai place, before returning our exhausted family (visitors and little girls!) to their beds.

The next day was Sunday, which we all used to rest up a little. We had church in the morning, and Bible study in the afternoon. While the girls nappped, Daddy and Katherine and Sarah took a little tour of post. But otherwise, we just enjoyed a day to relax and spend some quiet time together.

The next two days were a mad dash about the island. We had only two days to give Katherine and Sarah a taste of Oahu, and we made the most of every minute! In fact, we were rushing around so much that I hardly remembered to take photos. And that's just for the part I was there. The girls and I missed some of the sight-seeing. We were trying to be faithful to our schedules, getting our overtired babies recovered from the 4th of July extravaganza.

Anyway, I don't have any photos from the time at the USS Arizona Memorial (or our impromptu sidetrip to the Koa Pancake House to pass the time until our tour), or dinner and shopping down on Waikiki, or the visit to Waimea Bay. But we do have some from the Pali Lookout...

Katherine and Sarah pause for a photo at the Pali Lookout. They're as pretty as the view!

and from some time in the sun at Lanikai...

Hey, I think Madeline might be playing peek-a-boo under that hat!

Kathleen gets some early surfing lessons from cousin Sarah.

And then before we knew it, we were home, packing our bags for our next big adventure -- exploring the North Shore of Kauai! Everyone was excited about the trip. Sarah was excited to go to Hanalei Bay to learn to surf. Katherine was looking forward to spending some time checking out more beaches. And doing a bit more shopping. (And waiting for the best time to taste her first Mai Tai.) Kathleen was beside herself in anticipation of going on an airplane (or, an "airpoplane," as she prefers to call it). We'd made an excursion to Kauai just before Daddy deployed, and we just loved the island. However, it had rained a lot during that last trip, so we were looking forward to seeing the spectacular mountains and beaches in a little bit more sunshine.

And, as it turned out, everyone got what they wanted in Kauai!