Wednesday, January 14, 2009

. . . And My Heart Came Back Alive!



Aloha! All I needed was a lot of warm sun, the ocean, and my charming husband to uplift my very soul, that I didn't even know needed uplifting. Bryan and I celebrated our 10 years of wedded bliss in Maui. It was the trip of a lifetime and I will share a little sunshine with you all. (notice: a little long.)


So Excited to be there! One of the highlights was taking a shuttle up to 10,000 feet above sea level to see the Haleakala Crater, an old volcano. We got up at 2:45 to make sure we could get to the top of the crater before the sunrise. It was early and clearly, freezing cold (34 degrees) at the top, but oh so worth it!




From there they shuttled us down to 6500 ft., and we got to ride bikes down the rest of the way. It was about 40 miles, but all downhill and all beautiful. We rode through farms and meadows and eucalyptus groves.


We also stopped at one of my favorites, the Kula Lodge for breakfast where we ran into my younger brother Trent, who is currently serving a church mission in the Philippines. Crazy huh? Only this Trent had a Swedish accent.



Another highlight was riding a catamaran out to Molekini to snorkel. We saw beutiful fish and coral and on the way back we got to jump in and swim with the sea turtles. There were about six all around us. They are protected so don't touch, and apparently, don't take pictures. Sorry,nothing to show for that. But we did see some whales on that outing. There were two about 30 yds from the boat. So cool.



(Apparently I was pretty into jazz hands for pictures. Don't ask?)

Another highlight for Bryan was the golf. The course he played in Wailea was beautiful. Bry was so excited for golf that morning that he did the running man for me in the hotel room. Yep, I swear. Even I was taken so off guard, I didn't have the camer ready. So sorry.



This towel proved extremely valuable. Someone left theirs on the beach and so we took it to the awesome hotel next door and found our very own hot tub up above the pools just in time to see the sun set. So scandalous, so fun.




We ate incredible food, and went on delightful outings. We enjoyed every bit of the serenity pool at the hotel and just couldn't get enough of the beach.










All I can think to say is thank you, Bryan, for the time of my life. Happy ten years, babe. Let's celebrate again next year, and the next, and the next. And a very, very special thanks to Amma and Pappa and Grandma and Grandpa Massey for watching Brooks. I think he had as much fun as we did.

Aloha! Mahalo!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

And Then He Was Three

It really does seem like yesterday that he was born. How did we get here?


I love that all of my Christmas memories will involve Brooks, not only because he is my son, but he was born at Christmastime in 2005, which, I am sure will always be my favorite Christmas.

Brooks' birthday officially started off the season for us this year and rightfully so. It has been a great year for Brooks with many ups and some down times too.

Ups Include:
Busy, happy boy
Curious boy
Talkative boy
Running in circles
Big Boy Bed
Big Boy Undies
The "news" house
Grandmas and Grandpas
Super swimming
Joy School
Music Class
New Teeth
Great singing
Lots of tractors

Downs Include:
Busy, happy boy
Curious boy
Talkative boy,
Running in circles etc., etc., etc.

I did make a mad dash late one Saturday night in frantic search of a book about parenting toddlers. My methods certainly seemed inadequate at the time. But, what makes Brooks sometimes difficult to parent are the very reasons we love him. He is the light in our lives and brings so much joy and energy to our home everyday. He loves people and life and considers everyone his "friend." I have a heart full of gratitude that three years ago, he came into our world. We journey together, and there aren't any others I would rather be on this journey with. I love you Brooks. Happy 3rd Birthday.



my sunshine