My amazing trip to Hawaii

For the two or so people who check my blog, you know I'm, well... lazy...when it comes to blogging. In that spirit, I cut and paste the post from my friend Hilary's blog about my amazing trip to Hawaii with my college roomies.

A big shout out to Bjorn and his parents for taking great care of the kids while I was partying in paradise. I even came home to a very clean house thanks to my mother-in-law, Veronika.

Highlights: Polynesian Cultural Center, Pear Harbor, flying out of Honolulu just a few hours before the Tsunami warning was issued, snorkeling, Akaka Falls, the boiling pots, Rainbow Falls, Waipio Valley, Kona Stake Conference, attending the Kona Temple, The City of Refuge, the beach, whale watching, and seeing dolphins and sea turtles in the wild.

Here is Hawaii by the numbers:

5 -number of times we told fellow travelers we had 25 kids between the 6 of us and were roommates in college 15 years ago.

1 -number of fellow travelers who were actually glad we told them our story unsolicited. (We stopped after the 2nd day)

30 seconds -amount of time it took for us to pick up and be ready to go to the next location. Having 6 Moms and no kids is a LOT easier than having 1 Mom with 3-6 kids.

1 Tsunami warning issued while on the Big Island of Hawaii

3 -number of husbands who called in the wee hours of the morning after said Tsunami warning was issued

10 -number of times we repeated the word "Aloha" back to the speaker during the Kona Stake Conference we attended.

1 -number of picnic lunches we "crashed" after said Stake Conference. It was yummy and yes, a few of us even had seconds.

4 -number of times we had to stop for cabbage leaves.

40 -number of K-1 trivia questions submitted for our personal trivia game.

3 -number of questions Cyd got right. We are just glad she remembers us because she certainly didn't remember much of our time together in college.

48 -number of random wikipedia-like facts Heather gave us during our week together. Her new nickname? "Wiki"

1 -number of times someone on the beach came up and said he had just bet his wife 20 bucks we were from a particular state that will remain nameless at this time. Kaylynn's response was, "Is it that obvious?" He was very happy to have won the bet. I guess we did kind of stick out like sore thumbs.

942 -approx. number of pictures taken by the 6 of us during our week in Hawaii.

102 -approx. number of pictures we have each appeared in during the last 10 years of our lives. We are usually the ones taking the pictures, not being in the pictures.

64- number of times we used the word "charmed" during our trip

6 -number of AWESOME husbands who essentially said, "Go. Have fun with your friends for a week and don't worry about anything here." Seriously, they were SO great.

4 -number of minutes used up on the camcorder of us walking away from the camera so we could see what our own walk looks like. Just one of the many super dorky things we did during our time together.

4 -number of clear syllables in the way Heather says the word "interesting". In-TER-est-ing. The rest of us only use 3. In-trest-ing. Interesting, isn't it?? (Or is it "in-TER-esting?" You be the judge.)

8/ ea. -number of post cards Malinda and Kaylynn mailed to their kids.

35 -number of times Cyd spontaneously bursted out into song.

3 -number of injuries I sustained while snorkeling/playing in the ocean.

0 -number of injuries everyone else sustained put together.

6 -number of minutes Ker-dog and Cyd spent trying to speak "whale" (think Dorie in "Finding Nemo") in an effort to get the whales to jump out of the ocean. It must have worked because we saw a LOT of whales during our trip.

2015 -the year we want to go on our next trip!!

The trip was such a success we decided to go on another one in 5 years. That will give Keri time to move to a new location so we can go and visit her all over again. She was definitely the "Hostess with the Mostest" that is for sure.

LuLu and her Angel Donor Ashley

Here is the article about my niece's lifesaving transplant and her Angel/Hero who made it possible:

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_14390307

I just saw LuLu the other day and am simply amazed at her "extreme makeover"...from sickly (but still so sweet) to energetic, comfortable, and HAPPY. We have much to be thankful for in our family.

LuLu got a liver!

LuLu finally got a "gently used" liver from her anonymous (for the moment) "Angel Donor." See all the amazing details @:

www.liverforlulu.blogspot.com

She finally has a lovely liver to match the rest of her lovely parts!

Little Lulu

I've really been meaning to blog about the everyday events of our lives but for some reason I only end up blogging when we travel on the other side of the planet, a new human joins our family, etc... Well, our latest blog-worthy story is my sweet, almost-one-year-old niece London. Check out her blog at:

http://www.liverforlulu.blogspot.com/

I just found out today that my liver would not be a good match for little Lulu. Her mom (my sister Liz) had the perfect size to donate but less than ideal arterial branching; her dad (James) had good arterial branching but the liver was too big for London; and me...big liver AND weird arteries. I mean, I knew I had my quirks...I just didn't know they extended to my organs. I was so hoping to be goldilocks with the "just right" liver...anyway, it's been a sad day. The only analogy I can think of is that I've been high on the thought that I'd be able to help my sweet little niece and now I'm in my post-high crash. Liz called to comfort ME today. My sassy little baby sister has turned into an amazing mom/girl (sorry, I still can't call you woman, Liz! ;)

Anyway, if anyone even reads this (since I only blog quarterly at best), please keep London and her family in your prayers.

*News flash--the plan right now is to keep London stable and get her big enough to receive her dad's liver...staying hopeful ;)

Our Little Benjamin Button (thanks, Liz!)

Short male, receding hairline, soft tummy, slightly ornery when not getting what he wants, no teeth, and a cataract. What kind of guy comes to mind? Probably not our cute little Stephen Thomas who was born...oh five months ago or so (blasphemy in the maternal blogsosphere, I know!) Oh well, here's a sneak peak into one of many chaotic moments that have kept me away from not-required-to-survive activities (i.e. blogging):



So yes, the biggest news since I last blogged six months ago is that we have a new addition to our family. It's been a slightly difficult recovery for me and Stephen but here we are five months later, all alive. Little Stephen has evolved from a colicky, fussy baby to a very fun, giggly guy with two teeth. We're blessed to have him in our family. Here's a little slide show of his first five months (including a picture of what he may look like in the future...thanks to a little modeling from his big bro, Alexander):

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National Lampoon's European/Christmas Vacation

We were in Germany and Austria during the beginning of December. I won't pretend that traveling across the planet seven-months pregnant with three kids in tow was completely relaxing but we DID have an awesome time. Continuing with the title of this blog entry, I'm going to tell about our trip through movie titles...

The Christmas Story - Both Austria and Germany are SO beautiful year round but particularly during Christmas. We drove through the snow-covered Alps, walked through quaint old towns full of lights and church bells, and enjoyed the many Christmas markets full of unique gifts and yummy food and drinks.

Shrek - On the transatlantic flight over I kept trying to recline my seat back but it kept getting shoved back at me. After a few attempts I got up to face this massive German man that in ogre-like fashion said "no" over and over as I asked him why he wouldn't let me recline my seat. The guy next to me finally explained that he was about 6'8'' and I retorted that I was about ten-months pregnant...the flight attendants got involved, etc. (and took my side I might add)...I'm generally an easy going person but the thought of sitting upright on an overnight flight put fire under my Santa-like belly.

Munich - We flew into Munich. We didn't see much of the city during this trip but were VERY glad to finally arrive. We landed around 8 a.m. (which is midnight home time...hello jet lag!!!)

(O)Mama Mia - Our first stay was in Graz, Austria (Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown) to stay with Bjorn's grandma. The boys were so excited to meet their great-grandma that they had only known through pictures and the gifts/chocolates she had sent over the years. Though verbal communication was limited, smiles and hugs were exchanged and the kids enjoyed their stay with "Omi."

While You Were Sleeping - As I mentioned, we landed in Germany just as their day was starting and our day at home was ending. This is a pretty rough way to start off a vacation (especially for kids). The boys woke up in the middle of the night the first night in Graz ready to play. Thankfully they had a lot of activity books to work on until the sun came up. It took a good three days to semi-adjust to the new time zone.

Big - Here's a math problem for you...pregnant lady+14 or so hours of flying=swollen everything

O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Being the frugal folks that we are, we opted to buy an old-fashioned map instead of paying for a GPS with our rental car. There were more than a few times that I in so many words asked Bjorn "O Brother, where art thou????" We always got to our destinations...we just took many "scenic routes." ;)

The Interpreter - Bjorn thankfully grew up speaking German. His German skills were especially useful when we were taking our "scenic routes."

Phantom of the Opera - Our next stop was in Vienna where we stayed with some friends of Bjorn's family. They were kind enough to watch our kids one night so Bjorn and I could go see the opera "Die Fledermaus" (The Bat) by Johann Strauss. I think we paid about $3/ticket to see an amazing, professional opera. They even had English subtitles which made it a lot more enjoyable for me. While in Vienna we also met up with an old classmate of Bjorn's and went to a fun kid-friendly Christmas market with her and her family.

The Sound of Music - Our next stop was Salzburg which is "Sound of Music" territory. Bjorn put on his leiderhosen and I whipped on my maternity Julie Andrew's dress and we sang "The Sound of Music" on a mountain. Okay, I'm kidding...although some of you know we would actually do this if the opportunity presented itself...maybe on our next trip. In Salzburg we stayed at a quaint little family-owned bed and breakfast. We were able to walk around town and hike up to the famous fort. The boys favorite part was the old weapons and armour they had on display.

Chocolat - I'm attempting to get a year-supply of food and after our trip, I am well-stocked in the chocolate department. I can't say it will last a whole year but if we had self-control, it could last that long.

Seven Pounds - Another math problem...me+chocolate from our trip=seven pounds ;)

We Were Soldiers - Our final stay was in Garmisch, Germany which is a small skiing town where the Winter Olympics were held back in the 30's. We stayed at a lovely resort that was built a few years ago for people in the millitary and their families. We drove to some nearby castles, took a carriage ride through the town, and did a lot of window (and a little real) shopping.

Big Daddy - Elise has recently started calling any man that is not Bjorn "Grandpa." She pronounces it "Papa" which in German means "Daddy." She amused a few German/Austrian men (and their wives/girlfriends) when she'd point directly at them and say "Papa!"

Never Ending Story - The flight over was long but the flight home...oh, boy. I don't know all the meteorological details but the head/tail winds add a good two hours to the first leg of the flight home. In Atlanta we had a SIX hour layover, plus our flight was delayed. The boys literally sleepwalked onto our final flight and we got home around 2:30 A.M.

The Terminal - Note to self: bring extra clothes for toddlers when traveling. Elise is such a cutie but by the time we landed in Atlanta, she had stains all over her clothes and her diaper had leaked. Her hair was a mess and she didn't want to wear shoes...(can you hear the hilbilly music playing?) I could almost see the pile of dirt following her around the way it follows that Charlie Brown character. We essentially set up base camp during our long layover where the boys fell asleep on the chairs...

It's a Wonderful Life - The trip was full of ups and downs but mostly ups...it was festive and fun and a great place to be during the Christmas season. And like George Bailey, we were also very happy to be home again.

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