Weekly News

Hello Everybody,

 

This past week was a good one. We put closure to some things, embarked on a new adventure, and began new projects.

 

I spent a good deal of my week working for Cencorp and scrapboooking. Jimi spent much of his week in school and working on school homework, as well as working on the chopper in the garage. I also spent a couple of evenings taking Molly and Razor to Mead to meet their new mom and introduce them to her dog. The first night was quite the scene. My dogs were confused that someone else was in their house. Jennifer's dog was not happy because of her protective mother instinct over her puppies. The second visit was much calmer.

 

I took a long lunch on Thursday to help Tom get the rest of the things out of the Cencorp building, and Jimi helped too. Tom cooked us some very tasty steaks for lunch. It's sad really; the closing of the Longmont Cencorp building. Jimi worked there for ten years and I worked there for eight. It was home away from home for us and like having another family. The company was good to us and with out it we would not be where we are today. Regardless of the closure, we still have our memories: most of which are good. In addition, we have a little piece of it in our home, as I still do part time work for them at home.

 

Friday morning I decided I needed the afternoon off the recoup my brain. I have been so busy that the house work had gone to pot. It was bothering me so much that I could not concentrate at work. I am not a clean freak, but I do like things picked up and looking nice. I went home at noon and cleaned for almost two hours, and then I worked on scrap booking. When Jimi got home from school we went to Cencorp, where he helped me gather and dispose of all the left over trash, vacuum, and sweep the entire building. Afterwards we went home, watched a movie, and then went to bed.

 

I spent Saturday morning moping the entire building at Cencorp, came home for lunch and scrap booked for a while before going back to Cencorp to wax the floors. Jimi and I went to Johnny Carinos for dinner and then back home where we vegged watching another movie.

 

Since we got the floors at Cencorp done much quicker than expected, we decided to get one final hike in before the season ended. We climbed two 14,000 foot mountains on Sunday. I was absolutely exhausted. Of course, Jimi never complains; however, I do in my head, and with what little verbal noise I do make, I sometimes like feel that is too much. It took us seven hours of climbing plus four hours of driving. The only times we stopped moving was when at the top of each mountain and another time when we had to take off our socks and shoes to remove the snow and ring our socks dry. There was more snow than I had expected, although I really didn't know what to expect since I have never hiked this time of year. The trails on the North face of the mountains were snowy and icy. Going up was not so bad, but in places, coming down was quite hairy. Jimi finally decided that we needed to get off the icy beaten path and conquer the untouched powder heading straight down rather than the vertical path the trail takes. We trenched through the deep snow, which at times was up to my thighs, but mostly just to my knee caps. In any case, during the journey I was miserable. Looking back though, I decided it was a good experience and not so bad after all.  

 

Other things this week: Jimi finished a sailing book he had been reading. I began reading a book titled "The Power of Now". My new laptop is awesome: it has more space on it than I know what to do with. We are actively planning our Thanksgiving trip to Illinois and Michigan and excited about visiting friends, Darnell and Matt & Alisha, and family, Dad and Jeff & Karen.

 

I forgot to mention in last weeks email that Jimi has confiscated the Karaoke machine. It now resides in the living room for easy access. We have sung together a little, but mostly Jimi sings, and I watch and/or listen to him. We do not have a good variety of music, so he is going to get some for us. I will sing more then.

 

And that's it for last week. Hope all is well with you. Talk to you soon.

 

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

A little more

 

Hello Everyone,

I have been at Jimi's house for two weeks now and things are going well. This week had a little more variety than last week.

 

A very important piece of information I forgot to update you on in last week's email is about MollyCat's adjustment to moving. She's lived in the same house for the past 10 1/2 years, and we were worried about her moving to Longmont. The first couple of days she buried herself in the basement and was not interested in coming out. On about the third day she began venturing upstairs. She would hang out with us in the living room and even began her nightly ritual of sleeping with me. She still is not allowed outside, but she has made herself at home going to any room in the house that she desires and seems very content.

 

The stress I was feeling of moving and cleaning the Mead house came to a halt when Jennfier (my tenant) agreed to clean the Mead house for me in exchange for my reducing a portion of the September rent; a weight had been lifted. With everything unpacked and organized in my new home and not having to go back out to Mead to clean, I was done. So, I went shopping. I bought new curtains for the bedroom and upon bringing home paint samples, Jimi and I picked out new colors for the bathroom, which we will begin working on in the next month or so. 

 

I started training on new payroll software with ADP for Cencorp, and my new laptop arrived. Jimi decided to sell the backup vehicle he bought for us and listed it on Craig's list. I am still trying to sell off various pieces of furniture, etc.

 

Some fun things we did this past week are we rode the motorcycle to Loveland to visit with our friend Spartak and had dinner with him. We met with our friend Keith after work for drinks and ended up staying until the brewery closed. Keith went home, while Jimi and I went to Perkins for a late night snack. On Sunday we took the dogs to the mountains for a hike. We started out bushwhacking it, which about kicked my butt. Once we found the trail and decided to stay on it, I was fine with the hike. That evening we ordered pizza and watched a movie.

 

Friday evening I went to dinner and a movie with some friends from work. We saw the movie "The Women". It was an OK movie. Probably not something I would go see again, but worth seeing once. An interesting thing about the movie is that there are no males in it; not even in the background as extras. If you ever see the movie, be sure to keep an eye out.

 

I helped Jennifer (my tenant) move on Saturday. Of the furniture and things I left behind, she will decide what she wants to use and doesn't want to use. I still have things I am trying to sell. It's starting to hit me and I am beginning to feel as though I have nothing left. Feeling somewhat sorry for myself as I tend to do from time to time, I had a few depressing nights this past week. I felt alone, as I have lost my children, my home, most of my belongings, and my dogs. I have some worthless pieces of furniture, my cat, and my car left; however, after returning back to reality, I realize that this only makes me a free spirit without baggage to hold me down. And of course I do have Jimi, who is my rock. He is always around supporting me with a steady beat of emotion.

 

I spoke with my daughter, Jennifer, several times this past week. She hates it there. She has realized that her father has not changed and the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. However, she can not come back, so she just has to stick it out and make the best of it. She says Daniel still likes it there, but is also experiencing some issues with their father and wife to be. She says Daniel sticks up for her a lot. Daniel called me over the weekend too. He is working at a local motorcycle shop, but hoping to get hired on at Home Depot.

 

Well that's it for now.

 

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Not Much Here

 

 

Hello Everybody,

 

My Monday morning emails are getting closer and closer together, or at least it seems as so. None the less I am always happy to keep in touch by writing to you.

 

My week was much of the same...moving. I finally have the things out of my Mead home that I am taking except for boxing up my Precious Moments and Snow Buddies collections. This task will take some time, and speaking with Jennifer (my tenant) we decided that I can do it a little at a time after she moves in. This will give me a chance to visit with Molly and Razor, as well as keep Jennifer company while she is getting settled. I am leaving some of my furniture for her to use while she rents from me. 

 

I have everything unpacked and put away at Jimi's house. I loaded Jimi's truck of things he took to the Humane Society Thrift Store for me today, and I have a small pile of things I will begin selling on E-Bay just as soon as my laptop arrives. Jimi's house is packed to the gill. It's really not that bad, but seeing his house mostly empty before I moved in gives it a drastic change and thoughts of what have you done to this poor man's house? Lol He's been a good sport about it though.

 

I have been so busy and consumed with moving that Jimi and I have not had the time together as we are accustomed to. We did go for a quick dinner on Friday night, and we went on a motorcycle ride in the mountains for a couple of hours on Saturday. We decided to do a nice dinner or breakfast once a week, and Jimi was thinking we should join the volleyball team again at the church. We will have to make sure we don't fall into a routine forgetting to do fun things and spending time together as we did before combining houesholds. Unfortunately, my next two weekends are somewhat consumed though.

 

Tom had a BBQ at Cencorp last Thursday which, Jimi and I both attended. Tom is trying to get the building emptied and close it down by next week. I met my girlfriend, Ellen Cole, for a drink on Thursday evening in Denver. Jimi worked on his classes, helped me with the moving and organizing, and worked in his garage for a bit.

 

I spoke with Jennifer on the phone Saturday night. She is still doing well and is finally making friends to hang out with, but she does not like Dawn (her dad's fiance). I have not talked to Daniel lately.

 

I'd like to report something more interesting and fun, but unfortunately I cannot, otherwise things are good here.

 

Until next week.

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Boxes, furniture, and more boxes

 

 

Hello Friends and Family,

 

To no surprise, this week flew by. As you already figured, I was busy packing and moving. I worked everyday at Crocs, packed and loaded my car, and unloaded it everyday on my way from work. A couple of friends came over on various days to help out.

 

Jennifer (the lady renting my house) and I finalized the renting details. She will move in the weekend of the 20th. That gives me time to clean and do some repairs.

 

I received the appraisal back on my house. It is valued at $196k. I like that number much better than the $170k given to me before. Therefore, the refi is under way. Keep your fingers crossed that there are no more glitches.

 

The auction for my motorcycle ended on Wednesday, and my bike sold for $885.00. I am happy with this price, considering I bought it two years ago paying only $650. Jimi ordered me a new laptop (thank goodness I don't have to mess around with fixing old ones anymore), I paid for my season pass to Eldora Ski Resort, and I pitched in on the purchase of our boat. Jimi thinks we can still find me a bike later providing I still want to ride on my own, and I think I do.

 

Jimi was busy with getting into his classes this week, as they are still just getting off the ground. He painted and put the new bumper on my car, as well as changed the oil, painted the arms of the windshield wipers, and a few other small things. And of course, he also helped with packing and moving.

 

The weekend was not our usual fun filled days and nights. We stayed home the first half of Saturday, and I unpacked, organized, and cleaned. I'm almost finished. On Sunday we moved the big furniture, couch, dressers, and lawn furniture. We put my love seat and the chase in his living room and I sold my couch to Tammy R. Jimi's house has a whole new look to it with my furniture in it. It's like a little oasis. We had a wonderful arranging and it decorating it together. We like it. Jimi is hanging some pics for me, and hooks for my plants. He is so sweet.  I am not completely done moving yet. I still have to move my Cencorp office, the garage, and the crawl space.

 

I talked to Daniel on the phone for a while last week. He is doing very well. He has his own room, likes his school, and currently has a couple of potential jobs lined up. I talked to Jennifer for a while last night. She is also doing very well. She is looking at getting hired at Starbucks, she shares a room with 6 year old Lizzy (Dawn's daughter), and she hates the school. They are looking in to enrolling her into another school though. Both kids are very happy there. Jennifer and I are going to try to keep in better contact.

 

My tattoo is healing nicely. The weather is turning cooler here fast. Other than those things, there really isn't much new news here. I'll be busy rest of this month before things calm down for me.

 

On to beginning another busy week. Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

My how things change...

 

 

Hello Friends and Family,

 

Trying to get things in order and life in some form of organized order was my priority this week. However, making another major decision did not help accomplish the task. It may have made life crazier and even more unsorted. Anyhow, I expect that this email does not come as a surprise to you. In fact, I expect you have been expecting it - lol. Jimi and I have decided that I should move in with him. I must devote spare minutes to deciding and sorting what do to with an entire home filled with stuff: what to keep, what to sell and what to throw away. Originally I had planned to take my time and do it slowly through the month of September, but again those plans changed and it looks like I have a week or so, as you will read below.

 

Monday I worked the first ten hours of the day at Crocs and then another 5 hours at home. I managed to clean my house (wasn't really dirty), begin cleaning the kid's bedrooms out, and worked a little for Cencorp. The fall semester at Front Range Community College began and Jimi had his first class for Photoshop II on Monday night. I didn't get to see him this day and you all know how bummed I am when I can't see him. However, he called me after class and we talked for about 2 hours.

 

Tuesday was somewhat the same. I worked 10 hours at Crocs and than came home to chip away at my to do list. Jimi had a class on 'InDesign' during the day from 9am until 12:40pm. He came over in the evening to help me repair a portion of my fence/gate All we could really do was replace the post, which required the concrete to set over night. We went out for a quick bite to eat before he went home. I talked to my sister on the phone for a while and then went to bed.

 

Wednesday again was much of the same. I worked 10 hours at Crocs. Jimi had a day class on 'After Effects' from 9am until 12:40pm. That evening my girlfriend, Brenda, came over to help me clear the left over furniture and stuff from the kid's bedroom, while Jimi finished the fence/gate.It doesn't sound like it, but we got a lot done. What a day! Jimi also listed my motorcycle for sale on ebay. I'm sad to see it go, but the money will be good. I plan on paying Jimi for half the boat (it really will be 'our' boat then) and buying a new laptop, since mine isn't really working well.

 

Thursday I finished out the work week with another 10 hour day at Crocs. Jimi met the appraiser at my house between 4 and 5pm. I stopped by Jimi's house on my way home and visited with him for a few minutes. Then went to my friend, Miia's house for an hour or so. After the fun of chatting was over I had to go home and get busy with my list. I shampooed the entire upstairs carpets and washed all the linens left behind, as well as some other misc things. Thursday is the only weekday that Jimi does not have any classes.

 

Friday morning I had an 8am dentist appointment. My entire face was numb, but that didn't stop me from mowing the front and back yard, pulling weeds, and diligently working around the house. A friend from work came over at noon to look at my house. She is considering renting it from me. I took a few things to Jimi's house (my first official load). I will probably do this often, since I pass by Longmont nearly everyday. I had a 4pm appointment to get a tattoo. Jimi left class early to be there. He said he wanted to make sure they did it right. When finished with the tattoo, which turned out really good, we drank a beer, grabbed a few tacos and went to the theatre to see the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight"; pretty good movie. Jimi has two classes on Friday's this semester: 'Packaging Design' from 9am - 12:40pm and 'Electric Prepress' from 1pm - 4:40pm.

 

Saturday morning Jimi slept a little later than normal; he was a tired boy. Around noon, we took our boat to the reservoir; spending most of the afternoon there. Again the loading and unloading went super smooth. We forgot to put the batons in the sail before we got on the water, so the beginning of the trip was slow going. Jimi was trying to get the batons in the sail while I tried to steer and keep us from drifting into the swim area. The whole process only lasted 10 minutes and before we knew it we were on our way. We had spurts of wind and spurts of no wind. At times we felt we were really going fast and it was pretty awesome, and got some really good practice in. My job was to sit towards the front of the boat and operate the jib and the center board. Jimi sat at the back of the boat and operated the main sail and the rutter. After sailing, we cleaned up, grabbed a bite to eat and headed for the Colorado National Speedway to watch the races. Jimi calls them the red neck races.They are quite exciting and if you have never been, it is worth going at least once.

Jimi and I have been together two years on this day: August 30th. I consider it our anniversary, but never mentioned it to him and we don't celebrate it; however, Jimi remembered and mention it to me while we were at the races. He is very sweet - it meant a lot to me.

 

Sunday morning we took the dogs for a walk/hike in Lyons. Naturally, Razor rolled in something very smelly. The smell was so bad that I had to give her a bath when we got home. At noon we headed for Denver on the bike to spend the day with our friends Brad and Ellen. Brad made smoked ribs for us, which were incredibly tasty. They had quite the spread of other delicious food and beverages as well. They are awesome hosts spoiling us for sure. In addition, the co-worker who looked at my house on Friday called to say that would like to rent the house; this is when I found out I have just over a week to move. This is such a blessing for me to have her there. And because she is a miniature daschund lover, she would like to keep Razor and Molly. Jimi and I are having a hard time letting Molly go. We thought about keeping Molly for a while, but know that we will have to find her a home eventually and think it would be best to do it now. Letting her go now will reduce further attachment and she would get to stay with Razor and the home she knows. As Jimi said 'when opportunity knocks'.

 

We were slow moving on Monday. We went to breakfast and back to Jimis. We both ended up taking a nap, which was not planned. Jimi woke up before I did and mowed his front/back yard. Then we went to my house to pack some boxes and brought a small load of furniture back to Longmont. We got the living room and my bedroom, minus my clothes, completely packed. We bought the paint that matches my car so Jimi could paint my new bumper. Then I worked on organizing my new office/craft room: Jimi played video games. We showed my bike to a prospective buyer and I went home to Mead, where I packed some more things, loaded my car, and went to bed. 

 

I haven't really heard from the kids other than Jennifer calling wanting something from me: like money. I think they are busy settling in with school, their new home, and their new mom :-(. O.k., I will admit, so maybe a little part of me is jealous or bitter, but that's ok. I've got Jimi and that makes everything wonderful!

 

Hope all is well.

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Back in the groove

 

Hello Friends and Family,

 

Recovering from being gone a week was not as bad as I was expecting. Of course, with the kids leaving I put most everything else in my life on hold. They are gone now and this is the week I will feel the effects of trying to get back on schedule from vacation in addition to picking up the pieces of Jennifer and Daniel leaving.

 

It was back to work Wednesday of last week, which led to many stories of our vacation to co-workers. Everyone wanted to see pictures, but of course I do not show pictures until they are organized and displayed in a scrapbook. My brain had to be reprogrammed for reports I had purposely wiped clean from my mind. Eventually it all came back to me and I was off and running producing reports again. That evening I went to the Mead bar to have ONE drink with Tammy. As you may already be thinking, I didn't stop at one. It was 9:30pm before I got home and I had the worst headache. The kids drove to the store so we could pick up some groceries for the week. I spent rest of the night and into the morning lying on my bed dreaming of sheep jumping fences, lol. Earlier that day, Jimi picked my bike up from the shop. We have decided that it is not worth fixing; therefore, we are going to sell it. Jimi has been doing repo work for our friend who owns a car dealership. It was exciting when he located one of the vehicles he has been searching for.

 

I had a meeting with another mortgage broker after work on Thursday. It lasted 2 ½ hours, but mostly because we spent a lot of time gabbing. She is convinced that my house will appraise for what I need and says she has an appraiser who will do it. So, I am not giving up the fight yet; it continues. That night, Daniel and I took a load of his junk to the dumpster. And earlier that day Jimi went to Denver and purchased a bumper for my car and a fender for his truck. Jimi found a second car he has been searching for. He felt good about that, Spartak (our friend) was quite happy about it, and I am very proud of him.

 

Friday evening the kids packed their suitcases and rest of their belongings for their move to Arizona. The four of us had a pretty cool evening. We lit a fire in the fire pit, took the little TV outside and watched Pearl Harbor on DVD in the back yard. We roasted brats in the fire pit while drinking rum and cokes. It was really cool seeing the movie right after being there.

 

We left Mead at 7am on Saturday morning for the 7 ½ drive to Albuquerque, NM. The drive there seemed fairly quick and went rather smoothly. We were meeting Jim S. and his fiancée, Dawn, so they can take Jennifer and Daniel to Arizona. We arrived at our meeting place about an hour before they did, and once they got there it seemed like just minutes before the trunk was unloaded and we were back on the road. The drive home was long and seemed to drag. It was hard on Jimi and I; we arrived back into Mead about 12:30am.

 

Sunday was a good day for us. We took our boat on the lake for the first time. The reservoir is only 4 miles from Jimi's house. We were both surprised at how smooth the experience went, especially being our first time. Raising the mass manually, unloading the boat at the dock, raising the sail, and sailing around the lake all worked like clock work. No one would ever have known that it was our first time. Even loading the boat was as smooth as silk. We were on the water for about 3 hours. We needed to tip the boat over while on the water, just to learn how to handle the situation, but I wasn't in the right mood to do so. I was too nervous, so Jimi said we would do it another time. We went back to the house and grilled burgers, and later that evening we watched the movie "Felon". I went on to bed; Jimi stayed up for a while.

 

This morning I am back at work and trying to figure out my week and how I will get everything done. It's not that I am necessarily in a time crunch, but I just hate having so many things hanging over my head and want everything done now.

 

Hope all is well with you! Have a wonderful week!!

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Our Hawaii Vacation

 

Aloha Friends & Family,

 

I had not planned to take this long to get an email of our Hawaii trip out to you. In any case, here it is. It is long, so if you plan on reading it, brace yourself in a comfy chair with a beverage of your choice.

 

Our trip was fantastic. We flew out early Tuesday morning with no glitches. All four of us were in good moods and excited. The drive to the airport, finding a parking spot, and getting through security and to our gate all worked like clockwork. Our connection flight went through Salt Lake City, Utah landing us in Honolulu, Hawaii at 2:30pm (which was 6:30pm in Colorado). Upon our arrival we picked up our rental car and set out to find our hotel, which was quite an adventure, but after many u-turns and some choice words from our driver, we made it. Our hotel was pretty nice just off the beach. Our room was located on the 7th floor with a balcony view of more hotels. I was amazed that there are no doors into the lobby. Not even anything that can be temporarily closed. The lobby is open and exposed to the public and the elements always.

 

After settling in our room, we went out to get groceries, which were incredibly expensive, and then we went back to the room. I lay down and took a little nap. Jimi and the kids went to the beach. When they returned I was awake and we tried to go to the pool, but it closed at 6pm, so we hung out in the room until bed.

 

Wednesday – We set out for some sight seeing and beach hoping. We went from beach to beach along the coast trying out the sand and waves at each. We climbed off the path of a rocky area and experienced the waves crashing against the rocks daring them to try to get us. We saw a sea turtle nibbling some goodness from rocks and coral. Later in the day, we hunted for a Wal-Mart and it was a hunt. We asked about five different people for directions. They all directed us in the same general area, but otherwise everyone's directions were different. Finally after driving around the city for several hours we accidentally found Wal-Mart. The problem was it did not look like the typical Wal-Mart. It was a four story building. Wal-Mart was on the first floor and parking was on the fourth floor. The second and third floors were Sams Club and Sams Club parking. That evening we ate at a locally well known chain called "Zippys". After it got dark, we went back to the rocky area we went to earlier that morning and sat watching the moonlight on the water. Jimi and I were drinking Bud Light. We decided to leave when we started noticing the rocks moving, which turned out to be some type of very large bug about two inches long and resembling a cockroach.

 

Thursday – We got up and went to Starbucks, and then headed for Hanauma Bay. Hanaunma Bay is a snorkeling area made of live coral reefs with many different kinds of fish and other living sea life. Snorkeling was scary at first. Submerging our faces in the water and trying to breath is not a natural thing to do, but once past that, it was incredible and became my favorite part of our vacation. Jennifer was too scared to try snorkeling, so she laid on the beach soaking up the sun. We were there for four hours before heading back to the hotel where Jennifer and I did a load of laundry. Jimi and Daniel rented surf boards and went to the beach. It turns out that Jimi's back was still bothering him from the week before, so he didn't surf long. That evening we ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The restaurant was located on the third floor and the upper part of the walls consisted of garden lattice. I am still intrigued by the openness of the hotel.

 

Friday – Daniel and I went to the beach so I could watch him surf, but the waves were not big enough. We set out to rent some Kayaks with intention of going out to several smaller islands, but not before stopping at Starbucks for espressos. On the drive up the coast we noticed that it was considerably windy and rough seas, so we decided against the idea. We instead drove to Northshore. The drive took a couple of hours, but the scenery was beautiful. We stopped at a roadside souvenir stand and an authentic road side stand (van) for dinner. It was expensive, but the shrimp and Mahi Mahi was incredibly tasty. We stopped at Sandy Beach again where I took pictures; Jennifer sat with me, as Jimi and Daniel played on the boogie boards. The area is known to cause frequent dislocations and broken bones due to the rough waters/waves. Thank goodness the boys conquered leaving safely and in tact. Jennifer and I fell asleep back at the room. Daniel and Jimi spied on neighboring hotel rooms with the binoculars and later went down to the beach for a bit.

 

Saturday – Jimi and I got up early. We took a walk on the beach with out Starbucks coffees. After preparing for the day we set out again to rent Kayaks. When we arrived at our destination, we discovered that they were more money than we were willing to pay. Actually, we didn't mind paying the money, but there was a short time limit on them and it wasn't long enough for us to linger and enjoy our time. So the idea was abandoned all together and it was back to the hotel. We made reservations for a sailboat ride on Sunday and headed off to Manoa Falls in the rain forest. Jennifer stayed behind. The three of us climbed through the lush mass of trees, brush, vines, and rock for several hours. The water fall was pretty, but not what I expected. It seemed to be lacking water with just a small stream running down the 100 foot vertical rock; we did some exploring off the trail as well. On our way home, we stopped at a tattoo place to inquire about my next tattoo. I really wanted to get in done while in Hawaii, but Jimi wanted me to wait and have it done by people we know back home. We picked up Papa John's Pizza for supper. After eating, the four of us walked to the beach where we watched the sunset. After dark, Jimi and Daniel stayed in the hotel room, while Jennifer and I walked the strip along the beach front.

 

Sunday – We had to be out of the hotel by 7am to catch the 8am boat. Stopping by Starbucks on the way we headed for the sailboat. We were on the catamaran for 2 ½ hours; stopping to snorkel for about an hour of it. We were swimming with several very large sea turtles. They didn't care that we were there and made no attempt to flee from us or cared that we were next to them. The sail portion of our trip was great as well. The captain said the wind was blowing 15 – 20 mph. I'm not sure how fast the boat was going, but it felt fast. I liked it and could very easily get used to life on a boat. Our boating adventure was over at 10:30am. Next adventure was to climb Diamond Head Mountain. The kids didn't want to go, so they stayed in the room. Diamond Head is an old volcano. The tip of the mountain is gone leaving an open mountain with a crater in the middle. The climb was nice although was nothing compared what we are used to in Colorado. It begins on the middle of the volcano crater and winds up the side of the mountain to the top. The trail is mostly man made consisting of concrete steps and pathways. The view of Honolulu fro the top was breath taking. After returning to the hotel, the four of us took advantage of our last chance to play in the ocean. We stayed for a few hours and had a blast. It was the first time all four of us were in the water together, goofing around and sticking together. We had so much fun dodging the waves, playing on the boogie board, and bodysurfing. We all cleaned up with showers before heading out for a nice dinner at Dukes. This restaurant/bar was right on the beach. It was awesome, just as you see on TV. There was a 40 minute wait for our table. We waited in the bar: I drank Mai Tais and Jimi drank Budweiser. The food was expensive, but out of this world yummy!!! Our evening came to an abrupt end when Jimi remembered that we forgot to pay the parking meter. We quickly sobered up, finished our dinner and high tailed it to the car to find a $35 parking ticket. We went back to the room to sulk and ended up goofing around in the room until bedtime.

 

Monday – We ate breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, packed our suitcases and checked out. We went to Pearl Harbor. Touring the USS Arizona Memorial was very emotional. To think of all those men who lost their lives still & in the sub under water made it real by being there. We also toured the submarine the USS Bowfin; we saw the only captured "Japanese one man suicide sub", as well as other interesting things from WWII. And we toured the Aviation Museum on Ford Island containing both Japanese and American aircraft from WWII. After Pearl Harbor, we walked around China Town for a couple of hours. A person would never know that this place was located right in the middle of a modern US City. It was like walking through a port hole from one place to another. Many of the Asians spoke no or very little English. The streets were dirty and smelly. There were fresh fish markets on every corner; however, on the edge of China Town looking across the street was a three story modern high class building. I found it captivating. After China Town we still had almost three hours before we had to go to the airport. We simply drove around stopping occasionally to explore, swing on vines hanging from trees, or investigating a scenic viewpoint. We ended up going to the airport early. Our flight from Hawaii to Salt Lake City, Utah left at 9:45pm and arrived at 7:40am Tuesday morning.

 

Tuesday - We left Salt Lake City at 9am and arrived in Denver at 11:30am. We got to my house about 1pm. The kids and I slept overnight on the plane (mostly), but Jimi did not, so he was tired. We lay down and took a nap before he headed home to Longmont. Rest of the day I unpacked, did laundry, cleaned Cencorp, and cleaned my car really well.

 

All in all, there are no complaints from any of us regarding this family vacation. I am putting together a scrapbook of our week. Next time I see you, you can see all the pictures.

 

Love Everybody,

Aloha,

Lorie & Jimi