Hawaii 2024: Day 1 Aloha Hawaii!

FINALLY: our family dream vacation was becoming a reality! We jumped on our first flight to Honolulu at 9am. We flew to LAX and spent around 5 hours there. We ate bad food and used some extra time to walk around since our next flight would be around 5.5 hours.

It was still light when we arrived in Honolulu. I was able to see the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the beautiful mountains of the island.

We quickly rented our van and drove straight to Costco. Tired and hungry, we made it through checkout with agreed-upon and not-agreed-upon food choices and drove another 4 minutes to the Ko'Olina Beach Villas.  

WOW! Just wow! The Beach Villas exceeded our expectations from the get-go! Our villa was luxurious with a view to die for. We loved the lanai! Since it was around 2pm in Utah (10pm Hawaii time), we quickly dropped into bed so we could arise early for family pictures on the beach scheduled at 6:30am. :) 

 

A Wonderful Visit with Margo!

I was able to spend an evening catching up with one of my favorite people on the planet: Margo! We met at my 2nd year of Rick's College when I chose to roll the dice on new roommates. While my actual roommate ended up being a real nut, there were 4 others who exceeded my expectation. And Margo and I have kept in contact through the years. She was in town visiting her mom all the way from Georgia/Florida. We had a lovely dinner and then visited on the deck for hours. I'm grateful for the people in my past and present who bring me so much joy. #margojoy

 

Honing in on our Inner Pioneer on July 24th

When Dave gets something in my mind, it's going to happen. Period.

I had mentioned I was sick of the dark, purple "cherry-like" fruit that had started to drop from 2 of our trees last year for the first time since we planted them in 2006. Dave said he felt they needed to come down. With all the excitement and energy of a 16 year old, he got his new chainsaw and went to town on multiple trees in our backyward and the one in the front that drops fruit on the Teerlink's driveway.

We rented a trailer and spent the next 3 days hauling branches to the trailer and then to the dump. While our yard feels naked, I also love the simplicity of it now.

An Evening with Ammon at Aunt Jody's House!

 

It's A GIRL Thing!

It's a Girl Thing!

One thing I love about summer is the lack of structure, late nights, impromptu activities, smiles, and laughs. 

Here are a few pictures of the girls enjoying time with their darling friends this summer.

 

Celebrating the 4th of July

What a lovely 4th of July we experienced! First, a scrumptious breakfast from Dave on the blackstone grill. Next, a visit with Uncle Bob and Aunt Dawn's family in Eagle Mountain followed by 2 hours of swimming in their community pool with Jeff, Nicole, and Ammon. Next, a celebration for Doug's 50th birthday with cousins I haven't seen in years. And last, a ride up the mountain with Jeff and co to see the Utah County firework display in a way I have never seen before from the views I enjoy in Cedar Hills. Wow! I love this holiday and everything it represents: the love of this great nation, the love of the freedoms we enjoy, and the love of our family.