Dream Come True

We (meaning mostly I) were so excited to take a wonderful and much needed vacay to the beautiful island of Kauai. It has got to be the most beautiful places on Earth. It is still mostly untouched from tourism. There are jungles and beautiful forests with amazing beaches and views of the ocean.
We were so excited to be able to just lay out and enjoy all of our senses being engaged. It was so beautiful. I am convinced that I need a sound machine to be able to properly fall asleep now. The sound of crashing waves is the only thing that will soothe me. (Maybe if I convince myself and Cade of that we will have to get at least a time share or something there.)

This is the restaurant where we got to eat breakfast every morning. They open these floor to ceiling window panels so we can hear the ocean in the morning. What was actually pretty funny was that each morning we got one table closer to the deck until the last morning when we did eat on the deck. Oh I know you're probably tired of me saying it, but it was soooo gorgeous.

Just a quick pic after some fun in the sun.

(Disclaimer: Speedo approaching) So I did the best I could to limit the damage, but I had to show you our first speedo sighting. What is it with foreigners thinking that we all want to see their 'blessings"? I get that it is normal there but no thanks. Cade was playing in the water when I took this picture. He sees the guy and runs back laughing. He says "Tell me you got that." All I do is smile and say, "I'm so lucky I married you."

We went this amazing luau at the Hyatt down the road from our hotel. The food was delicious and the dancers were amazing. I can't imagine being able to do anything remotely as coordinated as the dancing they were doing. The girls were all so beautiful.

As we are entering the courtyard where it is being held, they were handing out Mai Thai's for the adults and fruit juice for the kids. So after we had both received out leis, we were the only two that went to get juice. It was pretty funny.

The opening ceremony- I have a video, but watch your volume. There is a brief moment where there is some interference with the microphone, but it only lasts a second. The videos are at the very end.

The microphone interruption is around 28 seconds and lasts only a second. All I have to say is if I could move my hips like these ladies, I can think of one person who would be very pleased if that were true.

I ask your forgiveness with this one as well. I am in the background gasping as if I am this poor fellow's mother and cheering him on. It's your call with the sound. Just so you know the thing lit on fire is a gigantic knife. Now how sharp it is, I don't know. It is really neat, though.

Our Zip-Lining Adventure

This was the start off point. Thirteen of us rode in a cramped bus along with our instructors. They were the coolest. Their names were Lucas and Carina over at Outfitters Kauai (www.outfitterskauai.com). They were so laid-back and informative. They had these amazing stories to tell. We got strapped up here so you can imagine what the rest of the hike looked like.
Just getting started. I'm sure you ladies already figured this, but all the guys were worried that they might be smothered a little. Not to worry. Lucas led the way. I was so excited. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This was our first line. We got to ride it twice because so many people get freaked and close their eyes the first time across. It was super sweet. There was a waterfall to our right.

Picture of the waterfall and stream we passed on our first cable.

Cade analyzing the situation.

He is doing what they called an "iron cross". You walk up to the edge of the platform and turn around. You hold your arms out straight and just fall backwards without grabbing onto your tether. It was the sweetest feeling. You are literally free falling for a few seconds.

This is our second cable. We got a little bit of repelling in this one. We got to go backwards for this one. To the right (my left) is a cave behind a waterfall where a little ninja statue is hidden. To the left (my right) is a smaller waterfall and stream that feed the previous waterfall.

This is where we stopped for lunch. This group was amazing. Not only do you get to take this sick adventure, but they pack lunch for you as well. It was so great. I would highly recommend if you are Kauai to look up this company. It was amazing.

Our Zip-Lining Adventure Continued

This was our third line after lunch. Yes, that is a ladder on the other plank. On this particular line, Lucas (one of our guides) told us that there was an extra special way to cross this one. A person would run off the platform and turn around as his foot was leaving. Then in the air, heave his or her body upside down and hang with no hands. What was even better was that this particular line had two cables running side by side. So of course Cade and I turned it into a competition. It was so great. Someone lost her shoe. Others shrieked the entire time. It was fantastic! Such a rush!
This bridge was used to test every one's knees shaking. It was a 120 ft. drop and was not very stable to walk across. They said that if anyone got sick, they would not be able to complete the last two lines. It was so amazing to look over the edge. There were so many beautiful plants and ferns. I just felt like I was in paradise.

This was our fourth cable. It was so amazing. This is the one that I manned up and went first on. It was so intimidating. We are start by standing on this extremely high platform and literally step off into nothing. It looked as if we were going to be clobbered by trees, but we just glided right through them.

Cade coming in. He was doing what they called "The Cannon Ball". It helps the person go super fast along the cable.

The landscape pictures are areas we hiked past and through. They are also where Jurassic Park was filmed.

This was our final cable. It was over half a mile long. It was so amazing. That little white line in the tree line is our landing deck. It was so amazing. Your body just hangs in the air as you glide across the tree tops. Looking down you can see streams and paths throughout the jungle. All sorts of plant life and rock formations. Looking around you just see the never-ending horizon. Beautiful mountains. It was so amazing. After we landed on the plank, there was a watering hole that we were able to hike to and go swimming for a while. It was so beautiful. It was nice a cool and had this beautiful stream that fed it. I was stunned.

As we were sitting on the veranda enjoying our dinner, the sun had started to set. We were able to just sit there and enjoy this beautiful jewel of a place. It was so amazing. There were surfers riding the waves. Kids laughing down by the shore. Couples strolling along the paths that wound throughout the property. It was so romantic. We finished eating and set out on the lawn to watch the sun set.

Our Last Day in Paradise

This is on the beach on the property of our hotel. The building in the corner is where we ate breakfast every morning. There is nothing like eatting a meal with the ocean breeze blowing and hearing the waves crashing on the shore.

This is the view from our hotel room. It was so gorgeous. I would love waking up to this every morning.

For our last day on the beautiful island of Kauai, we did absolutely nothing but lay on the beach and play in the waves. It was so amazing. This has to be one of my most favorite trips ever (including future ones). It was so great to be able to spend such quality time together. We were able to just sit there and be with each other without any distractions. (I am so glad that both of our phones died.) It makes me so appreciative of Heavenly Father's hand in everything. Every thing was so beautiful and peaceful. I hope that some day we will be able to go back.

Girls Night

Ruth was Julia's puppet.

Since we had 5 people, Ruth was on both teams. Such a hard worker.
(Jess, Ruth, Adena)

I love having such a wonderful group of women around me all the time. I have the best friends. Every once in a while we decide that we are going to hang together for games or something. The latest adventure was at my house. It was so much fun. We blew the dust off the Cranium box and split into teams. It was so much fun. It's so funny how the later it gets, the crazier it gets. It was so much fun. Thanks girls for coming over.

Mini-Crawfish Boil

Our Mini-Crawfish Boil Set-Up

Thanks to some major cravings and gentle prodding from my husband, I have located a website where I can finally get some decent crawfish. It has been quite the journey. Cade and I have both gone through some withdrawals after our visits with my family. Thankfully, I stumbled across this website and was so stoked! We got 10 lbs. and decided that we would test it out before we put all our cravings in one basket. So the day finally arrived that we would try out our crawfish. I put 5 lbs. in the pot and we waited patiently. The pot was a-bubblin' before you know it and we feasted on some delicious crawfish. Let's just say that we were so excited.

Cade's Latest Crawfish Attempt

The Ultimate Test

Home At Last

As many of you know, I have been on the road (or in the air) non-stop for pretty much the last month. But as of today, I am officially home for at least three months. Woo-Hoo! It has been a rough few weeks, but thanks to the man of my dreams, my family, and some wonderful friends I have been able to come home and breathe in a sigh of relief. I have a lot of catching up to do so I am going to get right down to it.

Having Left Abruptly

My Mawmaw (Dot) and Pawpaw (Wendell) on their wedding day.

I know that some of you may have heard, but I had to head out of town on a family matter. My mother called me on the 28th to tell me that my dear Mawmaw Champagne had been in an accident on her farm. She was a victim to a gas explosion and had 3rd degree burns over 80% of her body. The only places she had no damage was on her back and the bottoms of her feet. I left immediately to take care of my brother while my parents went out to Augusta to be with her at the burn center she had been transferred to. The evening of the 30th my brother and I were able to speak to her. I was able to tell her how much she meant to me and how I loved her dearly. I was able to tell her some of the things that I admired most about her. My dad then called my sister and his uncle (my Mawmaw's brother-in-law whom she was very close to) for them to do the same. My dad was able to speak with her and tell her how much he loved her and say goodbye. She passed away later that evening. It was a whirlwind after that. We planned her service and went through all the details. My dad and I spoke at her funeral, as well as her pastor. It was such a lovely service. I was so glad to see all sorts of people who loved her as I did. I will miss her terribly, but I am glad that I have the knowledge that I do about what happens after we pass away. I am glad that I know that when we get her temple work done, she will have the opportunity to accept the gospel and be sealed to her husband and children for time and all eternity. I will miss her and can't wait to see her again. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for my family and Julia-thanks for taking care of Cade for me while I was gone. You are such a dear, sweet friend and I don't know what I would do without you. Trish and all my other sweethearts, thanks for keeping me and my family in your prayers and calling and checking on me. I'm so blessed to have wonderful people in my life.