Portland Day #1

Our morning got off to a rough start thanks to the Southwest computer issues.  Multiple flights were being cancelled and we didn't have a 2nd pilot because he had been scheduled to arrive in SD on what was now a cancelled flight.  

After an hour and a half delay, we finally took off.  Others weren't so lucky.  Leslie and Darian's flight was cancelled out of Ontario.  Leslie was able to get on a standby flight with Reanna and Zoey, but Darian and the big sister never made it out due to cancellations.  Big bummer!

 We arrived in Portland around lunch time so stopped at Cascade Station so everyone could get their lunch of choice.  Matt and I tried Wow Burger which was actually pretty good.

 Then it was off to Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River.  It was a warm day and super crowded…so different from the time the girls and I visited last year.

 We hiked up to the bridge for photos 

 and then a little further for some views of the river.

 We split this gigantic homemade ice cream sandwich before leaving.

 Off to the fish hatchery to see thousands of rainbow trout at different stages of life.

 The fish are really neat to see, but I just love the grounds and buildings that surround the tanks.

A giant White Sturgeon!

Then it was time to make our way to Lake Oswego for team checkin and hotel checkin.  We had dinner at Pizzacato with Leslie, Carolin, Kelly and the girls before calling it a night.

LA Attractions

A few weeks back, Leslie, Darian and I discussed some of our summer bucket list items and planned a day to cross a few out.  Of course, most revolved around food!  Easy to see the day was focused on food, as I didn't get a single picture of us…haha!

 I had Taylor, Allison and Andrew in my car and Leslie followed about a half hour behind with Darian, Reanna and Zoey.

 California Donuts in Koreatown, Los Angeles.  The neighborhood seemed a little sketchy (maybe a lot sketchy), but we knew we were in the right place when we saw the line.

We sampled Maple Bacon, Fruit Loop, Samoa, Lucky Charms, Reese's, Coconut and Sprinkled.  They even had a panda donut (our nickname for Andrew)! I really liked them!

 The Museum of Tolerance was just a few miles away and I've been wanting to go since Taylor visited on a middle school field trip.  

 It is truly the most somber, yet inspiring, yet devastating, yet honorable place!

 It is just beyond comprehension to think of what happened to these innocent people.

 We spent a few hours touring the Holocaust exhibits and the tolerance exhibits which relate more to current events.  It is something every human being can benefit from and should see.

 We had the true honor and pleasure to listen to Mr. Bill Harvey speak about his tragic, but inspiring life.  He is a Holocaust survivor and lost most of his family during that time.  He was able to get to New York City and eventually landed in Los Angeles and became a famous cosmetologist to the stars.  He worked for Judy Garland and many others.  He is 92 years young, nearly blind and walks to the museum to volunteer and share his story.  I was hooked on his every word!

We debated between Roscoe's for chicken and waffles or Pink's for hot dogs.  Pink's got the votes, so we waited for almost an hour in line!! Ugh!

I got the Lord of the Rings hot dog, but tweaked it a little…mustard, ketchup, lettuce and onion rings on top of the dog.  It was pretty good, but not worth the wait.  Glad we did it, but don't need to do it again.  We will have to come back to LA again to cross off Roscoe's and the Stinkin' Rose.  

Arsenal Night

Tonight, the Arsenal girls got together for a team photo to kick off the new season, check out the new Galway Downs facility and listen to the coaches speak about their vision for the upcoming season.  Excited to see what the year brings for Allison and her '02 team!

Last Day in Maui

 We thought that after 2 weeks on Maui we would be ready to get back home, but there is something about this place that makes it so hard to leave.  The car ride towards the airport felt like we were all mourning the loss of someone…eerily quiet and reflective!  We made one last stop at Maui Tropical Plantation for a walk around the grounds 

 and soaked in the last bit of paradise.

We feel beyond blessed to get to experience this place as much as we do and are so grateful  

 for the time we shared together.  Maui has always been so good to us and we continue to explore new parts of it and feel content in the places we frequent.

Mahalo!

Maui Day #14

We decided pretty last minute to finish off our trip with a bang!  We don't usually take the time or spend the money for the touristy excursions, but wanted to give the girls a chance to see the island of  Lanai up close and have one last memorable adventure before heading home.  We booked a trip with Maui Adventure Cruises and it was wonderful from start to finish!

 

 We boarded a 30-passenger pontoon or rigid inflatable boat (depends on who you ask) and just seemed to glide across the water to Lanai.  Jill was our captain and Rob was the best deckhand…a snowboarder from Colorado who wasn't ready for college 8 years ago so moved to Maui and never went home!  I can understand that!  Our first snorkel stop was Lopa Beach off of the east side of the island.

 It is known as a "turtle cleaning station" and it was some of the best snorkeling we have ever seen.  Turtles everywhere!  We swam face to face with them, watched them sleep in crevices and 

appear out of different reefs.

The water was so clear and turquoise blue.  We were all in heaven!

 We several species of fish we haven't seen before and took advantage of all of the time they gave us at this stop.  Magical!

 Lanai has such a distinct landscape and is so untouched compared to Maui.  I would love to go back and rent a car one day to explore it further!

Our 2nd stop was Fish Rock. The waves were a little bigger and the water was a lot deeper.  Allison and I were a little intimidated by it, but Taylor and Matt guided us to the very cool rock structure that houses so many species of fish.

 We were more comfortable staying close to the boat, but I'm glad we ventured out to see it!

Jill promised dolphin sightings, so while we ate lunch on boat, we sailed further out in search of them.  It took quite a while, but then they just appeared in huge numbers.  We watched them jump and spin and play in the wake of our boat's waves.

The trip just kept getting better and better,  

 but Jill and Rob weren't done.  On the way back to Lahaina, they stopped the boat for a quick dip in the bluest, clearest water I have ever seen.  It was so eerie because it seemed like the perfect home for sharks (I get that they could have been anywhere, but this just seemed like the perfect spot!), but we had so much fun jumping off and staring into the water.  It was 108 feet deep!

 The best part about it was hearing the girls talk about how awesome it was.  Taylor said it was in the top 5 of the coolest things she's ever done and they've done and seen some pretty cool stuff!  A fantastic adventure for sure!

The kids felt like we lived in bathing suits and workout clothes most of the trip, so we "cleaned up" a bit for our last dinner at Kobe…

 and caught one last sunset!