Wow - what an amazing vacation and scouting trip! We enjoyed our every minute on the islands - seeing and enjoying our friends again, watching Autumn love the beach, the crystal clear blue waters, surfing fun little waves, smelling sweet flowers, eating yummy fruit, sushi, and ono island fare!! We picked up our rental car and headed for the Keisers - we looked at each other and had the same thing on our mind. "This feels like home again." Funny how it was only our home for a year - yet if feels so homey. We'd meet friends and their first statement was usually "Welcome Home" followed by "When are you moving back?" or acquaintances would say - "Welcome back, when did you move back?" It is strange and a bit hard to explain how and why this place feels like home. Some of our greatest joys and our greatest challenges occurred here. We loved our life 10 minutes from the ocean, we loved exploring and treating our eyes to completely new sights and experiences, we had great joy in finding out we were pregnant, we had so many close friendships - bonds that happened quickly and were so deep. We also had to try to figure out how to live in a place where there is constant friendship turnover, where everything breaks, parents of students were not always nice, watching friends grieve from afar
and where we fought feelings of being very lonely at times. Our hearts have fallen in love with Kona. It was refreshing, awesome and fun to be back - and amazing to watch our daughter love the things we love while being there!
(For those of you who are worried right now - Colorado feels like home as well and we plan to try to make both places our home).
So... although this was vacation, it was the variety that felt a little different because our main agenda was seeing friends again and relaxing in places we were already familiar with. The waves rolled in just in time and we got to take turns playing in the waves - something I was so so so so excited for. I hadn't surfed since I was about 6 weeks pregnant with Autumn and it felt like it had been forever! Although it was not quite like hoping on a bike again, I got a feel for it and got to ride a few waves in!
Good friends we got to visit! Keisers, Simanjuntaks, Carpenters, Ang, Tosh, Brock, Hassels, Doctorchiks, Jaspers, Ashley, Jackson, Pat, Becky - plus many other friends from work, church and our upstairs neighbors.
Activities we enjoyed! Surfing, SUP, Wa'a ride, eating at Jackie Rays, Annie's Island Burgers, Denise's Cafe, and the Kona Inn, beach time, the lavender farm and the church celebration Luau.
Hotels we poached (using our beach access rights of course)! Mauna Lani, Hilton Waikoloa and The Grand Wailea
New Foods Autumn enjoyed! Papaya, Apple Bananas, Butter Avocado, Fig, Gold Fish (the cracker kind), Haupia, Okinawan Sweet Potato (baked and as chips)
Number of friends who told us they are pregnant! 2 with a 3rd who could be anytime!
How did Autumn do with the travel and time change?! She did awesome! We got an entire row on the way out there and that helped with the wiggles from California to Kona. We let her take a 30 minute power nap at 6:30 when we arrived and then she stayed up until 9:30 Hawaii time. Not bad. Only took that one night and then she slept in until 6 or 7 am each morning after. Staying asleep in foreign places is tough - but we all got enough sleep to be happy each day! On the way back she slept the entire ride from Kona to LA and then woke up ready to run (@2am Hawaii time) and then slept the next leg to Denver. She stayed up a bit late and slept in a bit, but was right back on CO time last night! Our flight to Maui and back was on a small 9 passenger Cessna - and Autumn had a ball! We're hoping her love of flying (or lack of fear) sticks around for a while!!
On the business side of things and our future: It is still our plan to spend some portion of each year in Hawaii. Aaron is figuring out how to pursue business in Hawaii and he had some good informational meetings with men who do business in Hawaii. So for now we will let God guide, take one step at a time and see what happens!
Again - Mahalo all our wonderful friends in Hawaii for welcoming us back with aloha, open arms and helping us have an incredible time back on the islands! A Hui Hou!!!! We miss you already!
You monkey see, monkey do everything from trying to put on clothes (or anything), snapping buckles, putting on lids, chasing us, talking on the phone, stuffing things in and out of bags to scribbling. You have also started to get creative and start to use your toys in ways that we have not shown you! You are starting to be more interested in books. For long periods of time you entertain your self by running from room to room rearranging everything, moving/stuffing toys and other things. You like to move - run, climb and push, pull and lift things. The first day in Hawaii we got to the beach and you walked up to a large lava rock (bigger than a basketball) and tried to pick it up. I looked at Angie and said - that defines my child!! You are a go getter - busy busy busy!! 
Yes, you got up there all by your self!
