Fallen Tree

January 2009: One Sunday night, Ben and I were sitting in the front room and we heard a crash. Ben thought someone had hit the light post in the front yard and I thought it sounded like someone was walking on the roof.

The snow was falling fast and heavy. The tree was old and should have come down a long time ago...luckily for us the snow knocked it down for us. As it crashed it it pulled the roots out of the ground, a branch hit the roof and scrapped down the side of the house. We were lucky that it didn't hit the front window.

The tree hit an old phone line and pulled it out of the house...luckily, it wasn't a line we were using.

Ben and I decided that we wouldn't cut down the tree until Spring. We had many people offer to help cut it down...we even had a complete stranger stop by our house and leave a note with his phone number stating we could pay him to cut it down. In the end, AWESOME Tim came over and used his new chainsaw and chopped it down for us.

Too many shoes...

Well, Ben has finally decided that I can move into the house; I finally get to move in from the garage. Actually, we have been so busy doing everything else, that I never moved all my stuff in from the garage. I think that Ben was really surprised when he saw everything that I had to fit into his little house.

The thing that surprised him the most...the amount of shoes that one girl could have. I tried to tell him that this is normal; he didn't believe me. It was a very sad day, I had to end up giving about half of them away.

Maui 2009

January 2009: Maui, Hawaii



January 9 -16, 2009 Ben and I had a chance to go to Hawaii with Dad, Mom, Dave, Connie, Kyler, Kaylee, Jake, Kohl, Kenzie, Sue, Steve, Big Ben, Tanner and Amy.





We had nothing planned and really looked forward to spending time with our family, hanging out on the beach, and enjoying the sun (it was still snowing in Utah).

We stayed at a condo about 5 minutes from mom and dad's hotel. We were so close to the beach, the weather was BEAUTIFUL and so was the food, activities and sun!!

One day, we played on the beach with the family and Kenzie buried me (with Ben's help). It was fun, but Kenzie didn't realize that every time she moved she flipped sand up...she is doll and we had fun.


Ben liked that I was stuck in the sand...

Surfing

Another fun thing to do in Hawaii...surfing!!

I have been a couple of times but this was Ben's first experience. We both LOVED it.



Surfing is such a fun experience and an easy hobby to pick-up. It takes some practice learning how to push off the surf board into a standing position and not end up face first sucking sea water.

Surfing was a family event...Dave, Connie, Kyler, Kaylee, Jake, Kohl, Amy, Ben and me. Kenzie sat with Grandma Craig on the beach watching us all catch waves.

Whale Watching

One of my favorite adventures while in Hawaii is Whale watching!

On a cloudy rainy day Amy, Connie's and Sue's families as well as Ben and I ventured to Buzz's Wharf to embark on a whale watching tour...what a blast.



Our tour was through the Pacific Whale Watching Foundation; on board was a marine biologist who was very knowledgeable and shared so much information. I loved it. I love to hear all about the whales, the way they eat, migrate and take care of their young.

This plaque shows just a bit of what the whale does...amazing.

While out on the water our boat was treated to some amazing whales. We saw whales head slap, tail slap, head raises, fin slap and best of all breach!

To see a whale propel 2/3 (or more) of their body out of the water is AMAZING! It is indescribable. The event happens so quickly and it has everyone who sees it pointing and yelling...one of the most amazing things to witness. The splash that accompanies the breach is also amazing. Like I mentioned before...a whale watching trip is indescribable...I would strongly encourage you to go whale watching if ever given the opportunity.

In the picture below you can see a tail and fin...sorry it isn't closer...my camera doesn't zoom too well.

Old Lahaina Luau

Traditional Hula & Feast


The Old Lahaina Luau is one of the best on the island of Maui. Of course the food, the dancing, and the ambiance is amazing.

Below is a picture of the sun setting over the ocean just behind the stage of the Luau. The other picture is a view of the city of Lahaina.

We went to the Luau with Dave, Connie, Ky, Kaylee, Jake, Kohl, Kenzie, Steve, Sue, Tanner, Big Ben and Amy. These are just a couple of the pictures of the family. For some reason I didn't get any pictures of Sue and her family...?

I like this Luau because it is all you can drink tropical drinks, you get this awesome fresh flower lei, the dancer as cool and the food is awesome. I am not sure what I was thinking but I didn't get a single picture of them taking the pig out of the ground, any of the dancers or pictures of the area...Real Cool Paizier

IAO Valley State Park

IAO Valley State Park: This was the first time I have visited IAO Valley State Park. Ben and I were trying to decide what we should do one Sunday afternoon; we looked at our map and decided it didn't look too far to drive...so off we went. It was beautiful. We went from the seashore with the palm trees and beach to the rigid mountains and beautiful green vegetation. In the picture above you can see the main attraction at the park. Soldiers used to climb to the top of the hill and watch for enemy attacks. It looked like a huge climb.

Down below the IAO point there was this cute little garden. It had this awesome hut; beautiful plants and trees and awesome hiking trails.

This is what we found on the hikes...a small river that flowed down through the lava rocks and cascaded into a stream. It was so beautiful.

I have such a hard time describing how we felt from what we saw. Beauty that cannot be described or caught in pictures.