30th Anniversary Trip!

Greetings from our Celebration Trip - the one where we celebrate Ash & my 30th Wedding Anniversary (Aug. 4), Mom's 80th Birthday (Aug. 5) and Barb & Mark's 15th Wedding Anniversary (Aug. 6)! Along with the 6 of us for the ride are Stephanie and Stacia (albeit only for the first week of the trip).
We have spent 2.5 days in Ireland and are now in London, enjoying the pubs, the history and the sights. Tomorrow we head to Venice for the Italian experience. One night there for us before we board the cruise ship headed for the Greek Isles. The girls have two nights before they head home on Sunday. Another day - another city! Magnifique (not sure what that is in Italian...)

Rain in Maui :-(

So it does apparently rain in paradise, and torential downpours as well! But the whales still jump and play and the palm trees still sway, so a little rain is good for the Hibiscus flowers I suppose. The sun is now starting to peek out, so all is not lost for our trip to Lahaina this afternoon.

Maui

Now we are all on Maui, and staying at the most decadent hotel with an incredible view of the ocean, whales and property. They have just lit the torches and the sun is setting on another incredible day. Ash and I are on the balcony (he is reading) enjoying the last of the sun's rays and starting to think about our "happy hour".

I'm feeling very guilty about being here in this magical place on Barb's birthday, but know she is in the country (Bondville) with family and friends, so hope that she is enjoying her special day in her favourite way!

The Big Island

We arrived safely on the big island of Hawai'i on Sunday, landing in the pouring rain - so sad. Monday was mostly cloudy but Tuesday was hot sun and warmer temperatures, so all is good now! Ash is attending his convention, and Wendy just the cocktail parties and dinners with customers & friends at night. Lying on lawn chairs beside the ocean watching the whales is the order of the day, along with swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, reading and generally lounging around relaxing. Let's hope the sun sticks around!

Hawaii 2009

We are off on another adventure, this time to the Hawai'ian Islands for a convention and a family March Break trip. Stacia's best friend Ainsley is joining us this time - we sure hope she has fun!
Our first three nights are on Oahu, in the city of Honolulu. We are staying at the Moana Surfrider for the first time, and are enjoying the views of the surfers on Waikiki Beach. The weather has been overcast and drizzly, however, so no sunburns for the first part of the trip.
Stacia has already made her traditional "trip visit" to a medical clinic, having fought a sore throat for a few days. Strep Throat it is, and antibiotics are now the order of the day for her. She is still managing to get some shopping in, however!
We are hoping to get a visit to Hanauma Bay and some surfing in today before flying to the big island, Hawai'i, tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get a break in the weather this afternoon.