Tsunami???

We just got back from a fabulous trip to Hawaii. We went to Oahu this time. It's much different than Maui but we still loved it and had a great time. So this is the trip in pictures... We woke up to this every morning. The beach didn't get much more crowded than this. Beautiful. We saw most of the tourist attractions like, Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Cultural Center, we watched some major surfing on massive waves on the North Shore, went scuba diving, climbed craters and hills, ate a ton, and of course did some relaxing and swimming on a nice private beach! We unfortunately also experienced a tsunami warning!

We were driving home from dinner and browsing in Waikiki on the second night we got into town. We had the radio on and the DJ came on to announce that there was an earthquake in Japan and there was a tsunami watch for Hawaii. They stressed that it was just a watch not a warning but as we made our way to our condo, that was about an hour away, we got stuck in a ton of traffic as every gas station was FULL of lines. (later we heard that many stations actually ran out of gas) Then just before we reached our hotel the emergency signal came on the radio followed by an announcement that there was a tsunami warning issued to all the Hawaiian islands and the the first wave was scheduled to hit near 3:00 in the morning. It was about 9:00 PM so we had plenty of notice but it was still a scary feeling of the unknown to come. We reached our condo that happened to be right on the beach, and turned on the news. It was just devastating to watch the images of what was going on in Japan, and very unsettling thinking that something similar was coming right at us. Soon enough there were sirens going off all over the island and people were knocking on doors to make sure everyone knew to evacuate, especially on the lower levels. We packed our car with the food and water we had purchased that day, a couple changes of clothes, and toiletries and then headed up to higher ground. Luckily there was never a rushed and panicked feeling. We parked our car on the side of the road along with everyone else and tried to get some sleep in our car. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep but are so grateful that there wasn't much if any damage from what little did come. We finally got the "all clear" notice around 7:00 AM so we were able to go back to our condo... Definitely made for an interesting time! We climbed the giant hill to the side of our condo and this is the view we got. The building in the far background is near where we parked the night of the tsunami warning. It's higher than it looks from this view. We apparently were into climbing things because we hiked Koko Crater, which really put us in our place when we thought we were in great shape. (OK just me, the other already knew) This is going up the crater... This is going down... and this is what it looks like from the side... If you're on Oahu you should totally do it but I'm not going with you! It was quite the accomplishment and GORGEOUS at the top so I will say it was worth it. That bay you can see is Hunauma Bay if you know about it. We did some exploring and found many beautiful sites. This is Waikiki at night, isn't it awesome! haha The Polynesian Cultural Center was cool. In case you want to know how to make fire by rubbing sticks together we now have that covered so just ask us. This guy climbed the coconut tree. Pearl Harbor was an interesting and sobering experience. This is the memorial of the USS Arizona where more than 1100 people are entombed. This picture is from the deck of the memorial looking at the USS Missouri where the Japanese walked on and surrendered. Symbolizing the beginning and end of the war. We toured the USS Missouri and these are some pictures form it. Those are some big guns! Since Brandon was really into this I should add some facts that we learned. These guns can shoot a 2700 pound (basically like a Volkswagen) warhead 23 miles. There can be something like 27 warheads in the air before the first one even hits! Don't do this at home It was a great trip! Thank you thank you thank you to both our parents for allowing us to experience this as a couple by watching our kids. We love you! Now this is the perfect way to relax!!!

New Salon

After 11 1/2 years of working at the same salon, I have moved! I'm now in a building that holds individual studio salons. I've always thought of having my own salon but never wanted to put the time and effort into managing people and a building. Now I have the benefits of that without the headache. YAY! I no longer have a receptionist or assistant to help but really, if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. I kind of feel like I moved out of my parents house (love you M & D)... freedom! Pictures are coming...

Oh Sh...

(not as innocent as she seems!) Lately it's pretty common around our house to hear, "Oh Shae!" Many times the "ae" in Shae could be replaced by something else. One day this week she ended up getting into trouble while she was right near me. I can't take my eyes off of her for a second! She found some glitter polish and somehow managed to open it! She painted her nails... her face... and the dog! (glitter near her collar) I was very lucky that it didn't get on any furniture or floors! I got the nail polish remover out to clean it up a bit and then left it on my kitchen table while I did the dishes less than 10 feet away. Soon enough, I noticed that she was shaking the bottle. Unfortunately she had taken the lid off. I tried wiping and rinsing as fast as I could but this is now what my table looks like :( Also, Dax made this Valentine's box at school. I thought that taking a picture would be a better idea than keeping it :)

Happy Birthday Shae!

My baby girl turned 2! She is so funny and already such a big girl! She talks constantly and has the best personality. If you haven't met her, she would win your heart right away. She brings us so much joy! I don't know what got into me being so ambitious as to even attempt making Minnie but I'm glad I did! Shae loved it and I think it turned out pretty good. (and if you're wondering, yes, everyone had black mouths and teeth!) Shae loved opening her presents! We immediately had some regret for our sake about singing and dancing Dora. The "We did it!" song is a little much to take all day long! We were thankful she also received a quiet Minnie doll to distract her! Shae was excited to put Minnie with the Dancing Mickey she got for Christmas! Dax enjoyed the whole party just as much Shae! ... sorry, I don't know how to fix the weird gaps in the text without starting over.

Christmas

We didn't take a ton of pictures this Christmas, but we sure have some good video footage! This Dancing Mickey sure won the hearts of these 2 kids! He actually got everyone up and dancing with him! This year was wonderful! It was the first one that both kids really got it and loved opening presents and getting new things to play with. We had a great morning and got to share it with all the Grandparents. We timed it perfectly so when the kids came out to see what Santa had brought them, their Ama, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, and G Grandma Mary were there to see the reactions! (That's our parents and Brandon's Grandma). Then we enjoyed a YUMMY breakfast feast of Oven French Toast with caramel syrup, eggs, bacon, fruit, juice, and hot chocolate! The rest of the day was spent with family and we had a blast. We are so blessed and so fortunate to have so much in every aspect of life!

Merry Christmas!

If you didn't get one in the mail, it's because I didn't send them! We hope everyone has a wonderful season, Merry Christmas!!!