May Days

 In Hawaii, the school kids have a special day of cultural celebration called "May Day."  We don't participate yet because Zac's not in school, but I will say that this entire month has been one long celebration for me, where I got to experience several Hawaii perks, all in the name of turning 30.

The first was skydiving.  This is something I swore I would do as soon as I turned 18.  I waited too long, because as soon as I married Brady, I figured it was a dead desire.  He wasn't comfortable with it, and there was no way I'd go without the full support of my spouse.

I'm not willing to be the skydive spokesman and attempt to justify my decision to jump out of a plane, but I will say that I would never do something I honestly believed jeopardized my life.  The stats on skydiving made me totally comfortable doing it, and Brady was behind me all the way.  (I was also the girl who called these people about 15 times with various questions about equipment, the plane, etc.)  So, the big day came and Shelley and I (my birthday twin) boarded this itty bitty plane--without a doubt the scariest part.

 Brady brought the kids last minute to watch us.  Zachary was super cute, saying things like, "Have fun, Mom, but please come back to us!"

 I was not that nervous until right here.  The worst part for me was that we'd just had book club discussing a girl who had 80% of her body burned up after crashing in a plane--exactly like the one I was on.
  (It was also disconcerting to see the weight limit sticker inside the plane that said "120 lbs."  With 5 of us, we certainly exceeded those limits.  I asked about it, and that's without the seats and gear.)

 They gave Zachary and Olivia these special goggles to wear, just like their moms.

 Zac picked a flower to give me at the end.

 There are lots of pictures below, all in order.  If I can figure out how to put the video up, I will.  It is hilarious, and maybe-just-maybe worth the $80.

 Still going up!

 Initial reaction.  It was wild.  I couldn't see the ground when I first stepped off the tiny ledge of the plane.  We did a couple flips.  We free-fell at 200 mph for 30 seconds.

 Incredible!

 View after deploying parachute.

 This is me catching my breath (yes, the only picture where my mouth isn't wide open...), saying, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah."

 I read that most parachuting accidents occur while doing tricks close to the ground.  I was super nervous when he swooped us back and forth, until I realized just how far off the ground we were still.

 ...Then it was fun.

 Brady's shots from the ground.

 Zachary came running up to me.  Pretty cute.

 I feel like this picture proves my irresponsibility.  You know, holding babies doesn't mix well with skydiving.

 After we landed, my initial reaction was that the free fall was the best adrenaline rush of my life, and I just HAD to do that once a year.  It would be my bday gift to myself every year.  Now that there's a few weeks between me and the rush, I'm realizing how much money it is and facing the reality that it's probably not going to happen for another 30 years.  The good news is every time I watch the video, I still feel the flying sensation.

We've fallen in love with the Waiohai.  It's the beach where Mary and I most often surf now (as long as the waves aren't huge!), and only 5 minutes from our house.  Zachary is to the point that he can catch waves alone on his boogie board.  He can play in the water for hours at a time, and doesn't get phased by the wave abuse.

Kate is still very unsure about waves/ocean water, and more content to hang out in the pool.

 I love the beach sleep shots.  Kate actually started walking this week (HOORAY!), and is now up to 17 steps in a row.  She still prefers to snuggle, be on a hip, or holding our hands around the house, though.

 Last weekend, we went with friends to camp at--YOU GUESSED IT!--Polihale.  Oh, I can't say enough about this beach.  We had a lovely time swimming the night before, sitting around the bonfire, and best of all, listening to the sounds of Kate's slumber!  We finally broke down and brought her pack-n-play, and (crossing our fingers for the future) it was magic. 

 It's funny that kids all seem to respond to sand the same way.  Throw it.  Here she is, winding up.

 Putting it in her "hair":

 Peek...

 ...a-boo!

 Oh yeah, I absolutely plan to throw this good stuff!

 Zachary and his friends boogie boarded for at least 3 hours that morning.

 Lance turned 30 that day.

 The best part of the day was waking up, and hearing that Shelley wanted a buddy to swim with her to a cove where she thought there might be dolphins.  She goes boating quite a bit, and had seen them a few mornings prior.  We grabbed our boogie boards and swam out about 20 minutes with goggles and one fin a piece.  Sure enough, within a few minutes, we were surrounded by close to 100 dolphins.  The water was crystal clear and calm, and we could see into the water at least 50 feet.  The ironic part about this was Brady originally intended to fly us both to Big Island to swim with the dolphins for my birthday surprise (before the skydiving plans got made).  I have mentioned many times that it's my favorite activity of all time.  However, with our upcoming trip to Alaska, we didn't want to spend the money or the time away from our kids.  I couldn't believe my good luck getting a dolphin encounter on Kauai, totally free!!!  Magic!  (The only part I felt bad about was Brady missing out.  The dolphins are only there in the early hours, so he will go next time we are there in a few weeks, assuming the water is calm.)

The worst part of the day was coming in from our dolphin swim and finding out that our friend's 18-month-old baby fell into the fire.  He was reaching for his pancake that dropped in, and his body toppled over a log.  His arms have 2nd and 3rd degree burns, and his face has a little bit of burn as well.  The log may have saved his life.  It was a tragic scenario, and one that could easily happen to any of us.  There were adults all around, and it happened so quickly.  Our hearts really go out to our friends right now!!!

Eek, it is hard to continue after that paragraph!

I thought my adventures were complete, but Brady left me a note on Monday morning telling me to get dressed and ready to hike, while he ran our kids over to Nic and Heidi.  (Btw, I can't believe they watched our kids on Memorial Day!)  I've wanted to do the hike to Hanakapai Falls for almost 3 years.  The last time I went was with Cory and Kristen.  Brady drove us up and we had perfect conditions, with gentle breezes the whole way.

Yep, I'm 30.

 The falls were freezing and bigger than I remember.  We couldn't even swim under the main section because the water was coming down too hard.  It's wild how fast your body goes numb, and how easy it is to tolerate the pool under the falls after the initial chilly shock.

 Stopping in at Hanakapai Beach.  This is Brady's favorite beach on the island.

I feel ridiculously spoiled!

Turning 30 was a little sentimental for me.  I had a lot of fun in my 20s, and I'm starting to realize that others don't see me as young as I see myself.  It's strange.  I have a lot of hopes for my 30s.  I hope I can have another baby.  I hope my back issues don't hinder me over time.  I hope my kids will develop the same love for the outdoors that Brady and I have, and they will participate in adventures with us.  I hope we get to keep living here.  I hope Zachary and Kate do okay in the schools here.  I hope that I will be good at surfing someday.

I hope you all will come visit us again.