Aloha, Ken and Char!

We've been looking forward to their visit for a couple of months, and Ken and Char started off our string of visitors for the next few months! I knew Ken really well in high school, and we convinced them to stay with us on their trip to Kauai. It meant a lot of fun conversations, some yummy dining out, and a few adventures together.

Ken and Char were great to get out and really explore the island. Ken was a guidebook junkie, so he knew exactly what he wanted to do, and they really took advantage of the weather and planned well.

The pic above is Ken and Brady at the end of a ride. Wed afternoon, we took them to our favorite Brenneck's beach for excellent boogie boarding. Our new fins were a terrific investment, and we had a great time catching big waves. Brady says that I respond to peer pressure, as I often let bigger waves go right on by, but I was going for them with Ken and Char watching. Haha! That sounds about right.

Zachary fell in love with Char. She was so patient and attentive with him! He has been looking for her around the house ever since.

We caught a nice sunset before heading out for pizza.

Check out my bloody knee (and blood-shot eyes...):

The last night they were here, they took us to a fantastic sushi place we hadn't been to before. It was tasty! I am beyond embarrasing with chopsticks, and ate with my fingers more than anything else. Ken, Char, and Brady seemed to have it down for the most part. Oh, my mouth is seriously watering thinking of those rolls! Can't wait for Cory and Kristen to come with us when they are here in a few weeks!

Ken and Char apparently brought beautiful weather with them, although not likely from home in Eugene. Saturday morning, we left for the beach early, and enjoyed Hanalei's clear water and sunshine. Here is a picture of me and Ken:

Brady:
Ken, looking like this is the most natural thing in the world:

Char tearing it up:

Zac doing his best to maintain balance on the board:

It is completely against everything we stand for to use other people's pics (although all but Hanalei are from Ken), but since we've been to these locations many times, and they are dang good pictures, here are some views from Ken's camera:

North Shore Taro Fields


Waimea Canyon:

View from our back porch:


Thanks for making the trip, Ken and Char. We sure enjoyed the company!

I'm Walkin' on Sunshine

Contrary to Zachary's scowl, we were thrilled to wake up and finally have a sunny Saturday! We packed it full of events, neglecting all responsibilities, and paying for it until 1am. Worth it? Absolutely!Yay, see the blue sky???

Question: who took this picture? Was it Brady or Karen?

The morning started with a hike to Alexander Reservoir. You will never go and see it if you visit, but it was fun to hike to a new destination. With all the rain, we expected this to be more of a slip-and-slide than a hike, but thanks to all the rocks on the trail, we stayed on our feet.

Zac feels like he weighs far more than his low 20 something pounds after carrying him miles and miles. Both of us are incredibly (and embarrassingly) sore today. He did sleep for a tiny portion of the journey. Doesn't he look comfortable?

This is the best view you get on the hike. The reservoir looked like a muddy fish pond, so I didn't even include a picture.

We did get a taste of a new tropical flower. Pretty funky.

After lunch at a small cafe, we decided to drive over to the "historic" and "revitalized" Hanapepe. We drive by all the time on the way home from Waimea, but we have never actually checked it out. We understand they are trying to revamp their image, but we would definitely use the adjectives "dilapidated" and "abandoned" over their selections. We did enjoy a trek over the famous swinging bridge.

The prettiest things we saw in Hanapepe (I wish we took pictures of the homes here, the "repair shop" with not a single operable car, the beauty shop signs, and mostly just the emptiness of it all!):

Zachary was cautious over the swinging bridge round one, but lit up when he saw stairs at the end.

Ah, we can't tell you how happy we were that it pored today--on and off all day long. It's like all of our whining these past few weeks about lousy Saturdays and beautiful Sundays finally paid off.

"The Sun will Come Out, Tomorrow..."

...if tomorrow is Sunday, and you are holding to your original commitment not to engage in water sports on the Sabbath. 

Here we are, being good Mormons and taking a walk:

Zac fakes a laugh every time we laugh.  You can tell from his expression, but even better is the noise that accompianies the expression.

Other potentially-noteworthy events:

• My last glass mixing bowl broke this week.  Zachary broke them over the course of the last four months.  It was only a matter of time, and I'm content to mix away with my new Martha Stewart plastic bowls.   Goodbye, my eight-year-old friend.

• 
• Brady can now pick up Zachary with his bum arm (which also makes him eligible for dishes and diaper duty).
• The best part of the week was going to see a movie with some friends in our ward.  It was wacky.  Anyone heard of "Ink Heart"?  The worst part of the movie was Brendon Frasier.  What a weirdo.  It was amazingly refreshing to get out and go on a date, though.  Thanks, Nic and Heidi, for watching Zachary.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Low 60s + 30mph trade "breezes"=BRRR!! It's been like this for weeks!

We were not going to let Saturday just pass us by, so we drove over to a new beach--Larson's beach. Secluded, lots of reef, and very few people. Apparently there is good snorkeling here in the summer, but you'd get killed out there right now.

Zachary hates it when we carry him now. A 5-10 min walk to the beach took more like 25 min.

My plan all this week was to surf on Saturday. Winter is coming to a close, which means this beach will be flat in a month or two. Heaven forbid I miss out--so I instead opted for hypothermia. (The water was so deep yesterday!)

The other crazies:

Zac got in the water, too, which means Brady was chasing him with one good arm. Good thing I didn't last long. Brady reminds me that these beach outings add up to a scuba dive for him in a few weeks, when his arm recovers.

Bring back our 80 degree weather!

Eventful

Event #1: Brady broke his arm at basketball on Thursday. He was flying high for a rebound, and had that much further to drop when his legs got taken out. He's brave, and has only cried twice.


Event #2: I expressed my creativity in true Edwards-style with a candy bar poster. I'm certain the cashier suspected bulemia.

Event #3: I ran my first 10K. I lost by 20 seconds. In the words of Seinfeld, "Congratulations, you almost won. Of all the losers, you came in first of that group. You're the No. 1 LOSER."

Event #4: Zac learned to decorate his hair at meal time. That equates to more showers throughout the week, including one where he joined me fully dressed.

Event #5: Zachary made it through three hours of church with a tie.

Event #6: Zachary fell asleep on the tile after said three hours. He is becoming a one-nap child (gone are my four hours of freedom), so he can barely make it through his afternoon bottle. Obviously, he didn't quite make it this time.

p.s. Brady didn't really cry.

Valentine's for the Ages

This year was my turn to plan Valentine's Day and I figured there was no better way to dote on my wife than a beautiful, relaxing sunset dinner cruise. This time of year is especially popular because humpback whales are scattered along the coast. As seen by Karen's expression, I did good. Remember this smile as our story continues.

Our first stop of our 5 hour boat adventure was Spinner Dolphin haven. They loved to swim with the bow of the boat and some fully breached twirling high above the surface. It was exciting!

Here's a shot of the front of the boat. Notice the calmness of the ocean--if only it stayed this way....

This picture is significant because it is the last scene that Karen remembers before visiting the back of boat. The winds and ocean swell began to rock the boat, 2-1/2 hours into our journey. Let's just say that perhaps Karen should have taken two Dramamine's rather than one.

The color of the water has always fascinated me. Unfortunately, at this juncture of our ride

the ocean swell increased even more.

For whatever reason, I wasn't effected at all by ups and downs of the boat. I really enjoyed seeing the remarkable Napali coast.

A big reason Karen and I have been looking forward to this cruise was the whales. We were hoping for the opportunity to see them up close and personal. The whale below passed by within 30 yards of the boat. Karen even enjoyed this one--she said she had just finished hurling, looked up and smiled with excitement as the whale passed by, and then went back to being sick. I really did feel bad for her.


They also served dinner. I had some delicious terri-chicken and Kalua Pork over rice. It was so good that Karen decided to try just a little bit (ie fish food that would be freshly delivered a little later).

As we made our way back, Karen began to wish and hope the sun would set and be over with. She really was miserable. In her defense, she wasn't the only one. There were probably 6-8 people that spewed while were out at sea. The smell of bile was so strong at the back of the boat that I couldn't stay long. Karen was a really good sport and we got this picture together. She's still smiling.

When the sun did set, it was beautiful, but it also meant the cruise was over. Karen could not get off that boat quick enough. It was a Valentine's for the ages.