Hawaiian Holiday

I've always wondered what Christmas in the islands was like. Do they decorate palm trees? Drink hot chocolate out of coconuts? Make sandmen instead of snowmen? It all seemed so foreign to me.

And now I've experienced it. No, they don't typically decorate palm trees. Instead, they choose to decorate the downtown streetlights with garland and red and green ukeleles. Apparently, that's totally normal. Mele Kalikimaka is played give or take every 3 minutes on the radio and snow actually does exist so snowmen are possible.

Yes, it's true. There is snow on the Big Island of Hawaii! In fact, just this past weekend there was a snow and blizzard advisory for the top of the 13,000 foot Mauna Kea Volcano. Driving towards the mountain was crazy. I felt like I was back in Colorado, giddy over the first "fresh pow" of the season.

And if snow wasn't enough to get you in the holiday spirit...we had our own Hawaiian Christmas this past week. We decorated our mini Christmas tree, lined the table in presents and candy and woke up early to see what Santa left. Seeing as it is Munson's first Christmas...she was a little spoiled. Lots of new toys, treats and clothes. (Just to make her even more adorable). Tommy got a new longboard which he let Munson pull him on all morning.

Next Thursday, we are headed back to the Mainland for a Christmas/New Years Extravaganza. First off to Des Moines for Christmas, then meeting the Spivey and Willey family in Orlando at the most magical place on earth! We are absolutely so excited and cannot wait to feel that crisp Mainland air. It's been dropping to nearly 60 degrees here at night and I'm freezing so this trip could turn out to be a near death experience. I'm slightly worried.

As wonderful as the Hawaiian holiday feel is, I'm really looking forward to bundling up, playing in the snow, smelling real Christmas trees and being with family. There really is no better place than home for the holidays.

Circle of Life

We hate to be the bearer of bad news but there recently was a death on the Big Island. Our 1980 Datsun Pickup truck, Old Chub, is no longer with us. He had a good life and ran until he could no longer run anymore. On Thursday, November 11, 2010, Old Chub took his last breath on the side of the road and had to be towed back to his home on Plumeria Street.

But every cloud has a silver lining and out of old chub came a new jewel. A hidden jewel by the name of Julia. A turquoise Ford Explorer with the power to go off-road and enable 4WD. The ability to hold more than 2 people comfortably and the ability to drive without the constant fear of explosion or death. Yes, Julia came in to this world and was adopted by Tommy and Dani.

Julia, who came from the mountains, is adventurous. She loves to get dirty and explore new lands. She loves the color of the ocean and having her back seats covered in dog hair and fun toys like paddles and surfboards. This past weekend, we had to see what Julia was really made of and took her to our favorite place-Waipio Valley. We have waited months to go back to Waipio because we didn't have a 4WD car, but now was our chance and we embraced it.

We packed Julia up full of snacks, surfboards and adrenaline and headed down an extremely steep grade hill into the Waipio Valley. It was beautiful, and such a rush to actually drive down.

We spent the day lounging on the beach surrounded by cliffs, exploring the jungle and running through trails and riverbeds getting our paws muddy. By the end of the day we were beat and ready to take the DRIVE (not hike) back up the hill.

Although we are sad to say goodbye to Old Chub, we are very excited to have Julia in our life to allow us to go on these awesome adventures. 4WD is somewhat crucial here in Hawaii and we are very excited to be able to finally experience it.