One day I asked Emily if she could possibly come visit me in Kauai and she called me back and said "YES!" She and Matthew arranged babysitting for their seven kids and made it happen (huge thanks to Rebecca, Eric's wife!). Add to that a call from Natalie asking if she could "tag along," and I had one hugely happy heart! I never imagined a scenario where we would get a week of sister time together.
Emily arrived first and on Saturday, braved the waves and rocks of Brenneckes. I wondered how she would handle boogie boarding, and kept looking back from my spot in the water to see her flying in on a wave. We were so relieved that she could swim without goggles. She developed a second round of Bell's Palsy after contracting mono about two months ago, and figured she would need to keep the salt water out of her eye. Thankfully, it did not bother her eye much. Natalie joined the party that night.
Sunday, we spent the day at church, playing Scrabble, and entertaining the missionaries.
Monday morning, I dropped my kids off at school for their first day. Kate is a second grader and Zachary is in his last year of elementary school as a 5th grader. They were excited and disappointing to be starting school this year. We had the best summer of my life together, missing only one day at the beach. Also, several friends switched to the charter school and do not start school for three more weeks. They will realize it is all fair when school ends earlier for them.
After goodbyes, we went up to Kapa'a to rent bikes and do the bike path. It was a gorgeous day after looking suspiciously cloudy and possibly rainy throughout the morning. Natalie has not been on a bike in a decade, and Emily claims at least that long.
Next up, a quick stop for Ono Shave Ice, followed by 45 minutes of boogie boarding the gentle waves at Kealia.
I loved hearing Natalie's "whoo-hoo" exclamations. She gets that from my mom.
Emily proved again and again that waves do not intimidate her.
I loved seeing Emily and Natalie out on the lanai. They relaxed, read books, and talked to my kids. I have never sat on my lanai furniture and I'm resolving to do that sometime this week.
We went to watch a less-than-spectacular sunset but did manage to find turtles.
Tuesday we marked out for the north shore, and I had promised Kate that on "north shore day," she could play hookie and come with us. I got out water beads to entertain Owen while working out and found it was actually more effective fun for these three ladies instead.
The drive to the north shore is a Kauai must-do, and the spectacular vistas and roadside waterfall, the Hanalei bridge, the roadside pigs, and the nurseries added to the beauty of it all. I love driving north with fresh eyes and seeing it from another's perspective. It wows me after 12 years, so of course it wows the first time viewer. We made a quick side trip to Banana Joe's for a frozen sugarloaf pineapple/banana frosty. Yum.
Hanalei had small waves and Kate surfed a few. I tried pushing Natalie into some but the waves were not powerful enough that day. Natalie paddle boarded, too, and Emily went in and out of the water for hours.
My favorite sequence of pictures from the trip:
Owen "washed" Natalie's hair.
Owen was hilarious, insisting on getting in the shot of the three sisters.
Wednesday morning, we packed the car and took off early for the Poipu beaches to snorkel. A monk seal and two sea turtles were resting in the sand, begging tourists to photograph them. One of the turtles made his way back into the water while we gazed. Natalie and Emily were delighted.
Both of my sisters were timid about snorkeling so I coached them on what to expect and reminded them that things are always further away than it appears in the water, the fish are not going to bite or touch you, etc. Snorkeling is so awkward, though, and I hoped it would be a successful experience.
Emily tried first and was frustrated by the water leaking into her mask. I suspect her Bell's Palsy made it harder to keep the mask tightly suctioned on her face. She braved her fears, though, and let me hold her hand and guide her to see fish. We saw several large schools, many varieties of fish, and pretty coral before she called it quits. Natalie was similarly nervous, but thrilled when she saw the fish and pointed them out, too. It was such a fulfilling experience for me, knowing I could help them have such a unique experience. I was so proud of them both for conquering their nerves and sticking with it.
Wednesday is piano day, so Emily stayed back and rested while Natalie joined me in the car. We were able to check out Onipa'a Falls and chat for the entire afternoon while Owen snoozed in the backseat.
Owen loved all the "auntie" attention--getting his legs buried in the sand by Natalie, and swimming at Baby Beach with Emily.
Tender!
That afternoon, I convinced my sisters that they wanted to do another beach outing and swim/boogie board Sheratons. Zachary worked to impress them with his ramping skills, and Kate did her best to charm them with mermaid fun. Owen whined the entire time and refused to let me participate, but I forgave him based on his morning beach excursion. Ha!
Thursday morning was a relaxing one for my sisters and I was so happy to see their door closed and know they were getting the rest they deserved! Sleep is a such a luxury! At 9am, we went on a wog together, chasing Owen on his scooter. We stopped halfway to watch turtles on Ho'onani Rd. I picked them up and we went out for lunch at the scenic Beach House, where surfers were enjoying the swell at PK's. Fish sandwiches, pulled pork, and fish tacos filled our bellies before going souvenir shopping at Kukui'ula to pick out bows, mugs, chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I picked up my kids from school and they joined Natalie and Emily in more shopping, helping them select gifts.
Late afternoon after piano and homework were complete, we had round 2 at Sheratons. It was chilly, so we got permission to go play at the Koloa Landing pool and hot tub afterwards.
Love this one:
Earlier that day, my sisters asked how likely it was they would see a rainbow, or even better, a double rainbow. We got both wishes that evening.
A faint double! I nearly blew a tire to pull over and capture this image. A friend saw and texted me, "Have you never seen a rainbow before?" Ha!
After such a fun time at the pool, we got permission to use the main pool the next morning. We were not interested initially with the dumping rain, but it cleared out and we enjoyed a couple hours swimming. The girls cruised down the water slides and enjoyed their morning of luxury.
Before they booked tickets, we planned to go camping that night. When they decided to come, we asked them if they wanted to go with us or if should bag camping. They both wanted to go. However, with the inclement weather and how tired they seemed at the end of each day's adventure, Brady and I were really questioning if this was the right fit for their trip. Camping takes so much preparation, work, and sweat, and it involves going to bed sandy, sleeping on uncomfortable mats (if you sleep at all with the loud waves crashing), and eating food inevitably too crunchy from sand kernels.
On the other hand, I have described ad nauseam my reasons for listing Polihale as my favorite destination in the world. After going back and forth all day, my sisters decided it was a go and we took off for what was in my opinion the trip's highlight.
Getting camp set up with four adults is so much easier than with two. Yahoo! We had way more water time that night than normal, and I caught dozens of waves with them, convinced them to skinny dip, and watched the sun drop into the water as we swam the evening away.
The kids were beyond happy to join their besties for camping--the Clarks and Stebbins.
Owen LOVES Natalie. He fed her chips and guac, and kissed her again and again on the lips.
That night, I encouraged them to watch for shooting stars. After almost an hour watching the sky without success, I wondered if we would get skunked, but then we were rewarded with at least a dozen. I found out the next day it was a significant meteor shower!
We also spent time talking around the fire, making s'mores, eating precooked tinfoil dinners, and finally going to bed. We woke up at 5am to Zachary easing out of the tent, ready to take on the morning and hunt for shells with Caleb. This woke up Owen (and Brady), and they got up while I slept the morning away. Insert grin.
Heidi pulled out all the stops and put Brady's fro out of its misery. Haircut at Polihale? Goes down as one of the most memorable haircuts of all time, second only to shaving his head in high school.
Perfect, perfect day, minus when I completely pulled the muscle in my neck surfing. Oops. It was so dreamy other than that misstep.
I see from this picture where Zachary and Kate get their running-tongue thing! Emily!! It's so endearing.
A Go Pro image success!!
My favorite picture from their week here:
Emily has the ability to sleep hard in any circumstance! Probably the leftover Mono talking!
A favorite place demands a favorite conclusion: an acai bowl. Emily hates peanut butter and chocolate combos so she had the tropical fruity mix (hooray for fresh dragonfruit!) while Natalie and I slurped up chunky monkey bowls.
That night, there was just enough time for Lappert's ice cream before taking Natalie to the airport and relaxing my jammed up neck. The next day, we soaked up our last day with Emily, who assembled the puzzle she bought for her children (and miraculously fit in her carry on) with Zac and Kate, then said another goodbye.
Our conversations and time spent one-on-one this trip helped me see that I am not judged or criticized. Sometimes I assume family members pigeon-hole me into "Type A" or "bossy sister" or "uptight." All of these characterizations have been true at many points of my life (and often several times a day), but I'm trying hard to soften the edges of my personality and dispense more love. I truly loved getting to know my sisters as women and mothers and aunts. I miss them already and hope they are sincere about trying this again in a couple years.
"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other." -Carol Saline
Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for letting me be there for you. I love you both.
