WE MAKE SWEATSHOP

Sew 45 dress. Back nex week.

POOR MAMU

Last night Matthew was up about 7 times - still with the fever off and on since last Saturday and then an earache that started last night. Since I still looked like a chipmunk and I am sure my immune is wrecked, Larry took Matthew to the Urgent Care.

Raging double ear infection. His specialty!

PLEASE SING WHILE READING:

Saturday is a special day.
it's the day you get a parotid gland infection.

You go to the ER and you get a cat scan.
It's the day you find out you're allergic to iodine contrast.

You get some Benadryl and some other meds
And you sleep until you are not itchy.

Then you go back to home and you take your antiobiotics
And your weekend is messed up until Monday.


The ER doc said he was giving me antibiotics for the "acute sialadenitis" but he thought I might have the mumps (because of the pain, where it hurts, when it hurts, and the swelling in the neck and ear - but he took my blood and said nothing about the titer or anything - or just that he still thought I had that), even though I've been vaccinated, TWICE (80% effective), so I shouldn't be around kids.

Can I get a prescription for that?

Please.

With refills?

MILES MAKES SMILES

Thank you, Farwell, for not doing this the last month of school.

Miles Make Smiles Fundraiser was followed by lunch with the parents. It used to be BBQ hamburgers, but really, do YOU want to eat school lunch again AND pay $6 for it? I was glad they made it sack lunch.

Joseph, Noah, and Matthew at the Elementary school. I love Spokane! Look at all those pretty trees!

I brought the kids Quiznos because I was totally unprepared with sack lunches. They were so excited to get the kids' toys in the bag. My kids are so deprived. Seriously.

LEST I FORGET - SARI IS THE FULL PACKAGE DEAL

Prequel -

Mead School District (and the state of Washington) has this GREAT idea where the Seniors have to do a presentation to a couple of community members about what they've learned, what they are going to do with their lives, and how they are going to contribute productively to society. I have attended this Senior Presentations with awe (and dismay). It really is a great idea to sum up the last 18 years of your life and put to words and pictures what you want to accomplish.

What I don't love about this idea is that they decided that starting in 7th grade the kids are going to "practice" this. So, for parent - teacher conferences I get to go see Rachel practice ("I do my best, it isn't perfect, but I am working on it, I can do better") , Ben practice ("yeah, I know I need to do homework because, uh, clearly, uhm, just getting As on tests doesn't mean, ahm, you know, that the teacher is going to give me an A ... but really, if I know it already why do I have to do the homework?"), and now Sari practice. I understand why this is good, but for me is redundant. One teacher even said, "This kind of thing isn't for parents like you." haha Is that a compliment? I'm not entirely sure...

ANYWAY. Back to today.

In March, Sari's advisor double booked and so she canceled. Then I had to reschedule because we went to Baton Rouge. The rescheduled time was the day after Sari had her emergency appy. Needless to say, we missed it. I even called them before we missed it, and was told someone would call me to reschedule. Last week I got a MEAN letter in the mail from someone who is the advisory henchwoman who deals with bad parents and about how it was so important to have this meeting and develop my child's self blah blah blah and how they had left repeated messages and that is why they were sending a letter SNAIL MAIL is to be sure I HAD TO read it and call them and if I was too big of a loser, they would call a teacher in to be a substitute parent for MY child to report to.

(I never received a phone call and we are moving anyway. But for the sake of Sari's blah blah blah I called and scheduled a time to go to the SLC (student-led conference).)

Today I have approximately one million things to do and I am running on 4 hours of sleep so my vertigo is about a 6.7 and my Childbirth-Induced-ADD is about a 10.6. Nice. Nevertheless, after driving Larry into work and back (the Suburban is dead again - can we really drive it to Lousiana?!) and getting the boys to the Elementary school "Miles of Smiles" fund raiser and dealing with Matthew hating all of his clothes ("these are all OLD! Joseph AND Daniel wore them! I want something that is MINE!") I made it to the Middle School to save Sari's blah blah blah.

(She likes to wear this kind of stuff because she loves her Auntie Teilani and she knows her dad and I bleed BYU blue. But this isn't a picture of her today. I should totally take one though, she looks super cute! It is "Don't FryDay" a cute way to promote skin sun protection.)

SO, I went and met the substitute SLC lady. Sari came in and did her presentation:

This is my personality color, this is what it means, this is how I communicate, this is what is important to me, this is what kind of career appeals to me, this is what I want to do, this is how I am going to do.

This is my school work samples, I picked this because it is my best work, I picked this because it isn't my best work but I learned blah blah blah, I picked this because I liked this assignment. These are the goals I made and these are the steps I took to accomplish the goals and this is how I did on it.

This is what I do outside of school. I sing at Nursing homes, I run cross country, I dance hula. In hula we dance for old people, for the cancer society, for veterans, fund-raisers, and for fun.

Do you have any questions?

Me: "Sari, I love your Sariness!"

Lady: "I don't have any questions, but I do have a comment, is that okay?" (this will be my best recount:)

Pause.

"This comment comes from the fact that I have seen literally hundreds of these presentations from all age groups and grades. I TEACH grown ups and kids how to present themselves, how to sell their good qualities, I teach public speaking, so be sure to consider that with what I am about to say."

Pause. Sari and I nod nervously. I think about how to put Sari back together again when this is over. We look at the stoic lady. She continues the pause in our lives. Then,

"You, Sari, are the FULL PACKAGE DEAL. I want to bottle you up. This is the best, most organized presentation I have ever seen. Your skills at communicating and presenting are phenominal. I am so impressed. (No smiles, very serious.) I would like you to be the one in the video they are making to show how to do a presentation. Is that something you are willing to do? I would like to use your binder as a sample packet. But it's not just your work, although this is impressive (pats portfolio). It is your countenance, your smile, your confidence, your inner beauty and sense of self. There are a few student-led leadership opportunities I would like to submit your name for, for next year and the year after that. ... I want to put you in a bubble to keep you this way, and to protect you."

PAUSE.

She went on to ask Sari if anyone had ever said anything mean to her and what did she do about it. I thought - if only she knew!

Sari said yes that had happened and she tried to just blow it off and not think about it. She tried to concentrate on her friends who were kind to her.

The lady nodded and then said, "The thing is ... with people such as yourself, really special, talented, unique people, other people try to bring them down. They try to cut out your ... "Sariness", I like that (my term). Don't let them. If someone is mean to you it is because they feel badly about themselves. Always rise above what you see around you. You are the kind of person that others will be jealous of. Remember that."

I was in shock. This is NOT what I expected from the tone of the letter I got from her.

Sari told her we were moving to Baton Rouge. She said to be sure to find a gifted and talented place for Sari to attend, she would write her the necessary letters and hook her up as best she could. She was just effusive and vociferous in her praise of and to Sari. Sari walked out on cloud 9. And so did I.

And here is Miss Sari today. I really LOVE how she let her friends write all over her arms. NOT!

MATTHEW'S PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Matthew had his closing preschool program last night. They put on a really good show. If I had more kids, I would for sure keep going to Whitworth Preschool. They are so amazing!

They made their own hats. Sydney and Shae are on either side of Matthew.

All the songs they sang were about the ocean, This one was called, "Doing The Swim". We've got Ryland in the striped shirt. Geneva is spinning her arms so fast they look like they aren't there and Erin is in the pink.

Some of Matthew's friends this year - Kyle, Leo, and two little girls whose names I never learned even though I volunteered once a month.

In the middle is Tai Chi, Matthew's best preschool friend. The girls are Brooke and Sophie. See, I know SOME of their names ... (okay, Matthew had to tell me it was Brooke.)

Matthew's featured song was "Once I Saw An Octopus". It was a 6 armed octopus because Shae was hiding in his mom's lap taking a little break which was interesting to me because he is very aggressive at preschool.

Moving the octopus' arms.

"The crabs Are Crawling Song". I put this picture in solely because of Sydney and Matthew's expressions. Who cares about Geneva, Erin and Hank the crabs? Check out the side show! And note to self - when your girls are in a preschool program and wearing dresses be sure to put shorts/leggings/tights under them, even if you think you won't need them. You will.

Still going?

"Who Made the Ocean?"

"The Horn Pipe Dance".

"Thank You, God, for Your Great Oceans"

The chapel at Whitworth College. You can see why all the pictures are grainy. You need a tripod and/or a big dog flash to get a decent picture.

Matthew after the program. He was very proud of himself and pleased with his efforts. We were too.

Today is the last day of Preschool they spent an hour playing. Because I am such a lame mom drowning in stuff to do I sent Rachel to play and take pictures:

Gosh, he looks happy. You can hardly tell that every day he said, "Do I have to go to Preschool today?" "Yes" "I HATE preschool!" Then he was happy happy HAPPY the whole time he was there.

JOSEPH

Joseph called Grandpa Hathaway a few days ago to tell him that he had two loose teeth and he wanted Grandpa to pull them out (this started back at Pineview this past summer). He also wanted to tell him that they learned all about Japan. The Hathaway grandparents have been to Japan. Joseph thinks this is the coolest thing EVER!

So we sent a picture of the diorama and the two loose teeth to Grandpa's cell phone.

The problem was Grandpa won't be here until Saturday and when Joseph was eating school breakfast his tooth fell out!

I like the dazed, short-bus look on his face. haha

So again we texted a picture of the paper lantern Joseph made to Grandpa Hathaway and the missing tooth.

Then we texted the cherry blossom tree that Joseph made WITH JOSEPH'S NAME AT THE BOTTOM. He was VERY insistent that I get his name at the bottom in the picture. He checked to be sure, even though I told him that I did.

Joseph's soccer season is over. Yay! It was a short season, just right for this crazy spring/summer we have coming up.

Joseph has gotten pretty good and REALLY LOVES to play.

He ALWAYS has the soccer ball in his hands and we wake up every morning to him playing catch with it on the stairs (throws it up the stairs, and then catches it as it comes down).

Snaps go out to Mom and Dad Sant who I think spent more time at practice and at games than I did this season.

RACHEL'S CHOIR CONCERT - BROADWAY NIGHT

Since Rachel's new choir teacher used to direct traveling Broadway shows, it should be no surprise that they had a fund-raiser concert that was all Broadway shows. They performed 27 songs.

Let's start with my favorite - the Pirates of Penzance ""Oh, better far to live and die ...I am a pirate king!"

I am not sure who had more fun - the audience watching the teenage boys play swords or the teenage boys playing swords.

Even though this picture is small, I like it because you can see the happiness that the boy with the bat in the white shirt is going to get taking out the guy in front in the black shirt. They are twins.

Haha. Some of the boys really hammed it up.

Mr. Saccamonno watched the drama unfold as he played the piano.

And another dies.

And then they all died.

And then Mr. Saccamanno checked them all for signs of life, then picked up the pirate's hat, put it on and walked off the stage. The audience LOVED this song!

Feeling a bit melancholy about saying good-bye to friends in Spokane. Here are two of Rachel's friends - Jordan Hardy and Rachel Sok.

Rachel's Choir sang "Little Shop of Horrors" from "Little Shop of Horrors".

Rachel is in the tie-dye center behind her friend Kelsey and the chick in the orange and pink. Rachel hid behind her all NIGHT! Made me crazy! It was impossible to get a good picture.

You can barely see her behind pink and orange girl. Little turkey!

We interrupt the song schedule to put in another picture of a friend that we won't see next year:

This cutie is Miss Kaiya Lightsey. I adore her mom, Aimee. I would love for Ben to marry her someday - they would have beautiful children. I would hate for Ben to marry her someday because she and Ben are VERY alike in personality and that could only result in the birth of demon children and an alter of the earth on it's axis.

"One Short Day in the Emerald City" from Wicked. Rachel hid again. It was like playing "Where's Waldo?"

I can see what she is thinking - how did Kelsey get up there? I am supposed to hide behind her!

Where's Waldo Rachel?

"One of the Baum twins is short but she blocks me somewhat." They also has two girls sing "Loathing" and someone sang "The Wizard and I". The singing was excellent but the green paint was bad. Real bad. Distractingly bad. (Rachel said everyone else said they loved it. I blame my father for genes that make stuff like that distract me.)

"Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserable.

They did a good job.

They chased the "producer" of the show off the stage and someone else took over.

"Welcome to the 60's" from Hairspray was another crowd favorite.

It was perfect that Rachel's choir has football playing twins - here is Matt in the before scene.

The makeover scene stars Jordan in the yellow and Megan in the peach. I guess Lise had to add 4" to her dress. YIKES! Sara Pawluk was Tracy. She did a GREAT job! Sara is in a lot of Rachel's classes and she is a very funny LDS girl.

Here is Mike as the renewed Edna.

Siri and Lise Halfso sang Rosemary Clooney's "Sisters". I ADORE this song! I am desperate for Rachel and Sari to learn it and then I can dress them alike and take them with me everywhere and make them perform and people will say how cute and fabulous they are.

Because these girls are cute, but my girls are cuter.

Phoebe sang "Shopping Around" from Wish You Were Here.

She did a darling job.

I took a cute picture of Matt. He sang something from "Les Mis" with his girlfriend. I am sad to say that I have never seen Les Mis and therefore I am unable to tell you which song it was.

His rosy cheeks (not pictured in their full glory) (and his twin brother's - not pictured at all) remind me so much of my Uncle Ryan.

Rachel's group sang "The Winner Takes It All" from Mammamia.

The ladies sitting behind me had this conversation:
Lady A - Did you see Mammamia?
Lady B - Yes, but I didn't really like it. It had a few Abba songs in it and I don't like Abba."
Lady A - Other than that?
Lady B - Oh, yeah, it was REAL good except for the Abba songs.

(For those of you who might not know - Mammamia is made up ENTIRELY of Abba songs. Like, they took the Abba Gold album and arranged the songs to tell a story. haha)

Here is Rachel looking downtrod because the gods may throw a dice, their minds as cold as ice, and someone way down here loses someone dear. The winner takes it all. The loser has to fall. It's simple and it's plain. Why should I complain?

Sigh. Oh how I love that song. Got me through 10th grade.

Another interruption for pictures of friends:

Kristi Bonkermeyer, one of Rachel's "sweetest, most righteous, most humble, most smart, cute, talented ANGEL ever". Rachel says there are not enough adjectives to describe her. She says that she reminds her of Aunt Linda, only less shy.

Miss Megan Voigtlaender and Sara Pawluk.

Why do side ponytails have to come back in style? They were bad enough the first time.

"Forget About The Boy" from Thoroughly Modern Millie.

They also sang songs from Beauty and the Beast (If I Can't Love Her), Little Mermaid (Part of Your World), The Last Five Years (I Can Do Better Than That), Pippen (Magic To Do), Suessical (Oh, the Thinks You Can Think), Les Mis (Cafe Song, Do You Hear the People Sing, Stars, and One Day More), In The Heights (Everything I Know), Brooklyn (Once Upon A Time), Phantom (Music of the Night), Spring Awakening (I Believe), Sound of Music (I Have Confidence), and Songs for a New World (THe New World), and from Aida (A Step Too Far) . They also sang "My Lifelong Love".

Oh! And my FAVORITE (besides the Pirates) was from Aida "A Step Too Far". I LOVE Aida! Really, I got goosebumps when I saw it.

We will miss Rachel's Choir Program at Mead High School. It is really quite excellent and next year they are going to NYC and two years after that - EUROPE! Of course they would need parent chaperons and Sari would be in high school by then ...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

To my mom:

Every thing that is good in me is because of you.

I am sure that she would say the same thing to her mother.
Thank you, Mom. I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

I HOPE HE DOESN'T MIND ME TELLING SOME OF HIS STORIES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

(Is it just me, or does Joseph look a lot like my dad?)

He is the oldest child. Here he is with my Grandparents. My Grandpa Hathaway died when I was 14. I remember when Rachel turned 14 and I realized that I was about the same age that my dad was when his dad died. It was inconceivable to me. I still call my dad frequently. I value his advice and love his humor. I can't imagine not being able to pick up the phone and see what he thinks. I still get a pit in my stomach thinking about it so let's move on.

I love old pictures. My Grandma told me once that my dad was sick in this picture.

Judging from the rhododendron type bush in the background this picture must have been taken in California, where my dad was born and lived when he was little. No way something like that could survive Driggs, Idaho.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad and his dad after fishing. Time has definitely done it's damage, but in a way, I like it more because of that.

These must be the cousins. My dad is on the end in the striped tshirt.

My dad, my aunt Ranae (I think?) and my Great-Grandpa Hayden Hathaway. I just realized that he was not as tall as I remember him being. My dad went to Washington DC on his mission. That is where he met my mom. They hated each other. After his mission he went back to Washington DC to work and things fared a little better that time around.

This is another picture that I heart. Dad, is mom riding Penny? Penny was our favorite pony on my Grandma and Grandpa's farm. I distinctly remember sitting on her back with Jon and Teilani while my dad took a picture and all of us slowwwlllly sliding sideways off of her. I landed on my elbow. My dad loves to take pictures and as a result we have several thousands of slides of our childhood.

Ahhhh... wedding day. Very few pictures survived this day. I treasure the ... two that there are.

My dad and I in Hawaii. He taught at BYU Hawaii back when it was Church College of Hawaii. This must have been taken in between broken ribs - or maybe during, which would explain why he was in surf instead of on top of it.

My mom and dad both love the outdoors and the water, especially. All of my siblings do too. I don't think any of us would give up a chance to be in the water, especially warm water but any water will do.

Growl..... I remember when I broke my big toe in 7th grade I told the school nurse that she would recognize my dad because he was "tall, dark and handsome, with really blue eyes". She came back all smiles with him, so I knew I was right. (Note the pocket protector - even with the Hawaiian shirt.)

This may be the only family picture we have with my littlest sister in it. I think this is the chapel in Driggs, Idaho.

My dad loves to carve wood, take pictures, boat, and is a semi-techno-geek. He is very personable and friendly. He knows how people work and what makes them tick. He is funny and sarcastic. He knows a ton about the gospel. Often when I am talking to him he says, "oh, I have an article on that for you" and he will email it or send it. He is very good at remembering what is important to people. He learned to text on his phone primarily to "talk" to his grandchildren.

I inherited my dad's bad knees, tendency to migraines, and perpetual stomach ulcers. I also inherited his insomnia. (Which I am loving this week.) When I was in high school and couldn't sleep I would go in and wake up my dad and he would go on LONG walks with me. In the middle of the night. That's parental devotion people. Right up there with breastfeeding, in my book! I also inherited his ... curse of bad luck breaking the Sabbath. He stayed home from church "sick" one day and went skiing. He broke his leg. If I did that, I would break my leg too. When I was at Ricks, I was REALLY homesick. My dad drove up frequently and took me out to dinner.

Thanks Dad! Happy Birthday! I love you!

(I sat on this post all day because it is just ... inadequate ... then I remembered that sometimes something is better than nothing.)

And if you made it this far, go check out the contest.

PROM 2009

Prom is a two day affair. It was originally scheduled for May 9th, but they moved it up to May 2nd, which is the day we were flying home from Hawaii. I was sick about missing this fabulous day for Rachel. Fortunately, her friends took a bunch of pictures.

Friday after school Rachel, Ben Pugh (her date), Cassie, her boyfriend James (son of our previous bishop and current Stake President), Tori and her date Eric headed over to Coeur d'Alene to play in the park and have a picnic on the boardwalk.

Ben took the picture of Eric, Tori, Cassie, James, and Rachel.

And I guess Cassie took this picture of James, Eric, Tori, Ben and Rachel.

Ben has mad skillz at the self portrait - Ben, Eric, Tori, Cassie, James, and Rachel.

Freezing in Lake Coeur d'Alene. Eric, Tori, Cassie, James, Rachel, and Ben's finger.

Rachel and Ben on the boardwalk.

Front row - Eric, Rachel, Ben, Tori. Cassie and James in the back.

Eric, Tori, Ben, Rachel, Cassie, and James - another boat shot.

Saturday morning the kiddos went to a pottery place in downtown Spokane and made each other mugs.

Just look at this happiness. I wish that I still had a picture of the cute mug Rachel made for Ben. I thought I forwarded it my email but I didn't...

Rachel and Ben painting. It just cracks me up that these two have known each other since the 4th and 5th grades. (Missing Spokane already. I need a minute.)

While Larry and I were flying from Honolulu to Seattle, Rachel got ready for Prom, got her hair done, and her boutonniere for Ben. There was a problem with the boutonniere - it was PINK - but Rachel put on her big girl panties and went back and fixed it. You go girl! She hates confrontation.

Anyway, we just have a few pictures of the result:

WOW! I mean, I know this is my kid and my previous Webelo, so I am definitely prejudice but I think they make a striking couple and match PERFECTLY!

What cutie-patooties. Am I the only one who sees them as 10 year olds playing dress up?

I could look at pictures all day... I just am so sad I missed it, but I did get to see them later on, at ONE A.M.! Better than not at all!

After Ben picked up Rachel they went over to Eric's house for pictures. I swiped these (and most of the others on here) off of Facebook so they aren't super fabulous quality.

Sigh. What can I say? The Pughs and Sants make great looking kids. Not an unfortunate one among the 10 of them.

Cassie and James were in the group, too.

Eric and Tori also in the group.

The girls.

The boys.

The whole group. What a great looking bunch of kids!

Rachel and Ben shoved in the back of the car.

And dancing it up. What a hilarious picture! It looks like it was a fabulous dance!

Still to come ... Hawaii ...

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CONTEST!

Our blog needs a new name - something to do with the South and us bein' the Sant family an' all.

Leave your suggestion in the comments.

The winner will get a gift card or somethin' real nice (said in Cousin Eddie's voice from Griswold's Christmas Vacation.)

SATURDAY - LIFE, I LOVE YOU, FEELING GROOVY - Honolulu and home

We flew from Lihue to Honolulu first thing in the morning. We left the O'Donnals in Lihue. I wanted to be them. (They left a few hours later.) We were planning on having several hours in Honolulu. When we raced to Lihue this is what we saw:

No power. The whole airport. Everyone in lines. No one could get boarding passes. Planes coming in could not land. No one was worried except me. I vowed to NEVER go to Honolulu again. Each trip seemed to be cursed.

We finally made it Honolulu with time to spare. (By the way, if you are ever there, get the orange chicken at the airport - divine.)

I got a better picture of these trees. I need to learn photoshop so I can make these really amazing.

I can make it black and white. I heart the shadows on the grass.

Which one do you like better?

Larry across the street from Queen Kapiolani Park. We walked around the park. It was filled with silicone and spandex. I just don't understand the "I will work out while you check me out" philosophy. It's not just because I'm a fatty either. I didn't get it when I was skinny.

We drove around Diamond Head. Looks like Utah. We didn't hike any trails. It is most impressive in postcards.

This is inside the crater. Very not exciting. But hot. Very very hot.

We went to the International Market where Larry was about mugged by tiny little Asian women trying to sell their Hawaiian goods made in China.

I ate a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit at McDonalds that cost $5. YIKES!!

It seems like we did more than that but this is all the pictures I took.

We flew to Seattle and then to Spokane. Larry tried to save the train door for an old man and lady in Seattle but the train left anyway. Then we saw them in Spokane and they thanked him for his gallant efforts.

They say that youth is wasted on the young. I agree. I also think that wealth is wasted on the old. We saw tons of people who were so old they could barely walk - and they were lugging around these HUGE Canons. Nikons. Lens. Tripods. I was jealous. I admit it. Jealous of their mack-daddy cameras.

FRIDAY - LET THE MORNING TIME DROP ALL IT'S PETALS ON ME - KAYAKING

Chickens of Kauai

Please excuse the window screening in the picture:

Good morning last full day in Kauai. How I will miss you!

Larry and I got up first thing in the morning and met our tour guide at the Waimea River for a kayaking and hiking trip to "Secret" Falls. Larry and I have never kayaked before and it was a lot of fun. We kept pulling right. Must be because we are right handed. After we kayaked for about 90 minutes we hiked 2 miles into Secret Falls.

This is what most of the hike consisted of. Our tour guide - Judah - a dreadlocked surfer DUDE kept us on a fast pace. He wanted us to get to Secret Falls before anyone else. He took us over boulders and I think we were a little off the beaten path. We got a late start waiting for one couple to show up.

When we got there we ate dried mangos, bananas, and papaya. We all looked at the falls and ate each other. Our group was three young honeymooning couples and US. Haha

It was so beautiful, but I didn't go there just to look. Finally I said, "Well, I'm getting my fat butt in the water." So Larry and I did. We were then joined by the honeymooners. We also were the first to go under and behind the falls. The pool is only about 6 feet deep at it's deepest. Because we were the first ones there it was crystal clear and VERY VERY cold. You soon numbed up and it didn't matter.

On the way back down, Judah went slower and explained how this canyon at one time supported 10,000 Hawaiians. Now no one lives there.

In this picture you can sort of see the terraces where the Hawaiins grew taro.

I truly have no idea how the chickens got back here unless they hopped on a kayak.

This is what our trail was like - very dense and roughly figured to be a trail. Larry and I were pretty pleased that we kept up with Judah and the Honeymooners.

The river we kayaked. On the way up we were against the current. On the way back we had a head wind. I would pick against the current over the head wind.

It was a beautiful, glassy water day. In the afternoon the tour boats come in and rough up the water. We only saw one. The Fern Grotto is in the middle right of the above picture.

From the bridge, a view of the Waimea River.

We hung out at the pool in the afternoon and then headed back to Bubba's. On the way (and several times) we drove by the famous:

It is completely in ruins now.

A Japanese investment company bought it. Then a hurricaine came through and caused some damage. They filed an insurance claim. The insurance company said the place had gone to the dogs already so they sued the Japanese and now it is all wrapped up in a court and a major eyesore.

What is NOT an eyesore is

They put relish on your hamburger buns! Very yummy!

This is the view from the outdoor eating bench.

The onion rings were AMAZING. I love onion rings and hate onions. Can anyone explain that? Except that nearly everything tastes better breaded and fried.

You see what I mean - you just can't take him anywhere.

I forgot to take a pretty flower picture today so I will leave you with this pretty ground covering:

And the sunsetting on the palms. Our last sunset in Kauai.

Where did the time go? Do we have to go home? When can we come back?