 1 Taking a picture of this creation so we can recreate it if necessary. It will be traveling with us...somehow. |
 2 Last party...we bought Formaggio Grill's pupu platters with the last of the money I'd earned doing Wes' website. They were great. So despite not having a dining table (which I'd sold to a really neat gal I wish I'd met years ago!), we used the remaining tables and assorted chairs outside, which is cooler anyway with that many people. We had a great time. |
 3 That is Mark - our neighbor and plumber extraoridinaire. I do his website, too, and he fixes stuff when it breaks. He is a real character. Behind Mark and to the right in a blue collared shirt is Chris, a web designer friend who has helped me immensely when I run into technical problems I just can't figure out. Talking to Chris is Andrea, another great friend who I met in mysterious ways...I just can't remember now. But she is a real hoot. |
 4 There's Gene - Giji's brother. |
 5 And Giji with little Siah. |
 6 Ben did a great job with the entertainment. He seemed to take his role seriously, tapping foot and all. |
 7 Leo's Mom and stepdad on the stairs. |
 8 Brendan, Leo and us. Thanks for the great idea to take a real picture, Leo! So glad we did :) We miss you already! And Dave is very skeptical of your water boiling trick, Brendan. I will be trying it in WA. Keep your phone handy :) |
 9 Run! Or you'll have to play the digeridoo again! |
 10 MOVING DAY! Came waaaay too fast! The movers arrived the next morning, after the party, two hours EARLY! Needless to say we weren't quite ready. We do this every time - go into deep denial about all that has to happen, don't want to close the chapter quite yet, and then it happens. Packout panic. Where are the boys in all of this madness? |
 11 Oh boy! There they are! Weather tropical storm PACKOUT! Those movers come in like a hurricane. You tell them to start in one room and they do, but they grab stuff on their way in and out! Like half of our slippers! One each of Sam and Ben's and both of mine! |
 12 More box time outside. |
 13 And while we're at it, why don't we just schedule physicals for new life insurance on the same day, since at least we KNOW where we'll both be. So the nurses were doing Dave's blood pressure and it came out a little high. They go - Uh, why don't you hydrate a bit and just relax? (RIGHT! Relax? Ha! So Dave sits in the shade for about 92 seconds while Sam is scootering across a moving ramp, into the table where the nurses have their blood sampling stuff all lined up.) OMG what a crazy day. |
 14 But at last it was all said and done at about 16:30. The guy at the end of the trucks is hammering the crate closed. You can see the paddleboard along the side. They worked HARD all day long. |
 15 There's Blaik who has been by us and our neighbors for all kinds of transitions in the last few months, from helping Charlie (character that he is!) move out, Giji find new tenants, and us sell and move. He was there helping me cut the grass while Dave was in Japan. He even transplanted a few plants for us at the last minute. He's always there, popping up when you need him most. So he has a surfboard of mine and will carve my name on it. Thanks Blaik! All the best to you! |
 16 Last popsicle before heading out! |
 17 Now we're finally at the hotel. It's about 6:30pm and we're eating the food I salvaged from the fridge (much to Dave's consternation, but hey at least we had a few food items to eat!). Turns out there's a dinner show for us at the Hilton down below. Those are hula dancers. |
 18 And the full moon rising over Diamond Head. |
 19 We are shoeless, though, in a nice hotel. All three of us. Carrying all our bags up to our room. Slipperless like gypsies. We wandered the streets of Waikiki the next day looking for slippers. Sam and I finally found some, but it was harder to find some for Ben. |
 20 Eating muffins in the morning, completely disoriented by tall buildings. I'd had a less than ideal sleep. Dave was really snoring...is that awful to mention?...and so I finally took refuge on the bathroom floor next to the ironing board and under the sink. It was quiet in there, if a bit cool. I felt like I'd been on a C5 space-a flight to NJ for 10 hrs with no sleep the next morning, though. A train wreck really, but trying to have fun with two little boys in tow, none of us with slippers. |
 21 We did manage to have a great time in the lagoon down below the hotel. Sam swam out to that island and back on his own (to the right). He had a great time. Loves the lagoon. |
 22 Even gave Ben a ride :) |
 23 Then when Dave finally got back to the hotel from work, we fought traffic over to Kailua to wrap up the house, check on house cleaning (best $250 spent yet) and have dinner. I have wanted to go here for YEARS. Finally, we went. The food was beyond great and the history of the place is what did it for me. It's been in business since the '60s. Claudio, the owner's son, told me that it is a bit of a secret because so many celebrities have come through there, including John Wayne, Jerry Garcia, Tom Selleck. Those are the names I remember. The spaghetti sauce has been in his mother's family since 1690 (!) and the sausage recipe has been in the family since the 1500s. Wow! Love love love this place. You bring your own beer or wine. It is humble inside. Just the way I like it. See the sign isn't even lit all the way up? |
 24 Playing ball on a big field was HIGH on the boys' list of fun things to do today, Sat. We fly out on Tues afternoon. |
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