Pioneers

Here we are at the 24th celebration! The kids got to ride in the parade. I am so thankful for the pioneers and for the heritage that I have and hope to be able to pass on that legacy of faith to my children and grandchildren. We are so blessed to have the true gospel of Jesus Christ and I am thankful that His church has been restored to us.

Kaua'i, Hawaii

So, I guess I should have said that this was an early anniversary celebration. Our anniversary falls on November 25th but we didn't want to go then. In Kaua'i we went on a helicopter ride over the island. Our helicopter didn't have doors so it felt like we were really, I can't describe what it felt like, but it was exhilarating.
At first, it was raining when we got on and I was starting to worry that it was going to be miserable and cold, but the rain let up shortly after we got in the air and it wasn't too cold.

The views were amazing! We got so close, I thought I could reach out my hand and touch it sometimes.
We checked into our hotel that night and we were happy to have such great views of the beach.

We stayed in Princeville and it was fun to drive across the island everyday. There was so much to take in and the weather was so nice we usually had the top down.

We went kayaking down a river and hiked up to the secret (not so secret) waterfall. We kayaked up the river farther to a private swimming hole with a rope swing. That was so so so much fun. It took us a little while to get the hang of kayaking and it was fun to learn. We had some good laughs. But after a few hours of it I think we're pretty much pro.

On our last day, we rented some snorkel gear and body boards and hit the beach. Snorkeling was so amazing. I have never seen so many fish and other sea creatures before. We saw a giant sea turtle again and it swam with us for a little while. We had a picnic at the beach and hit the waves, (or they hit me I should say). At the end of the day we were burned. I could hardly sleep for a few days. I'm glad it was our last day there and not our first!

We think this is called kite surfing. Yeah, that's Scott out there.

We had a great time and we're already planning our return trip with the kids (when they're a bit older). It's nice to be home and I'm so glad the kids had so much fun with the grandparents, Aunt Wendy, and cousins! You guys are so awesome!

Oahu, Hawaii

For our 10 year anniversary, Scott and I went to Hawaii! We arrived in Oahu and made our way over to Pearl Harbor. We toured the Battleship Missouri and USS Bowfin. It was real interresting and I gained a greater appreciation for those who serve in the Navy.
Next, we headed down to Waikiki. Our hotel was two blocks from the beach, so we walked down there for dinner. We saw some strange things there! There was a man who spray painted pictures - they were amazing, we saw fortune tellers, artists, musicians, all sorts of people dressed up in costumes, we went to lots of little shops and had some fun.

Next day, we headed up north. We stopped along the way at Turtle Beach and saw some giant sea turtles (but I haven't gotten those pictures developed yet). We stopped at the temple and I really got to missing the children there. It was beautiful!

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the afternoon. We saw a lot of dancing and some shows. The presentations we went to were hilarious! I laughed so hard, I was crying!

Scott really liked this tree.

There was a canoe parade with the different islands doing their own dances.


In the evening, we went to the luau. We got to dance on stage since we were celebrating an anniversary. We tried some new foods here.

After dinner there was a show where they danced with fire and knifes and it was pretty exciting.

Tucson Children's Museum

We had a great time at the Children's Museum. There was a lot of hands on activities and the kids did not want to leave. Next time, I'll take a book and stay longer!

Pure and Clean

Here is our little angel. She was baptized July 5, 2008. It was a beautiful day. It was a day I know I will always remember and I hope she will too.