Hawaii Highlights

How do I capture the feeling of getting on a plane,

all nineteen of us, everyone who is most precious to me,

taking off together! 

The excitement could hardly be captured on photos.

It was so many small things ...

the younger ones rushing ahead to the escalator,

hauling their suitcases behind them.

Curious onlookers and smiling flight attendants.

A family settling into rows, one after each other, 

kids making plans on how to switch assigned seats.

The feeling of sharing in a bubble of joy and anticipation

as we sit back and relax for our six hour flight. 

By the time we got settled into our rooms,

the sun was ready to set and Ben and Kari picked up pizzas for all. 

The kids wasted no time to get into their swim suits. 

Shaun and Kristal grilled dinner on the beach another night.

And the entertainment was free. 

A couple of times it was our turn to cook.

One of my favorite shots is this one of all the girls

engrossed in conversation around the coffee table,

the boys on the patio.

This season ... a treasure I can't put into words.

A daily must was the slide competition at the hotel.

Two times a day there were races according to age.

Apparently there was no cheering team like ours -

so much so that a comment was made by a stranger wishing he was "Uncle Shaun!" 

Even while all the adult racers knew that a certain "Uncle Ben" was the one to beat. 

Who knows what his secret was? 

The winner received a ticket for a free shave ice.

There were also other ways of acquiring it. 

"Somehow" I won the hula hoop competition for my age group.

Did no one know about this? =)

It was fun to come down to the beach or the pool and

find chairs waiting for us!

And we  loved it when someone would come and share our chair.

Here, boys just want to have fun.

There was a daily schedule of events, that we would never be aware of if we'd be on our own ...

but the kids knew all that there was to know about signing up for classes

such as making leis or bracelets. 

The only thing I didn't say yes to was the slide. 

I caught these two taking off - 

cousins separated by half a world, yet so close when together. 

Chris and Julene treated the adults to breakfast one morning.

The banana macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup did not disappoint. 

One day we drove to the North Shore.

With the rain and the tide, we got wet even if we had not planned to. 

Talking about myself here. 

What else can I say, but that

memories were made and kept.

A rare treasure and gift, the love of family.

💛💛💛