There is me and "Desmond". I just got back from The Lost Premiere event on Waikiki Beach. It was AMAZING. I am embarrassed to write all that happened...how I may have screamed like a teenager and somehow managed to get interviewed by the ABC news (which aired at 5 o'clock), but saw all the stars, got my pictures taken with a few, and saw the first episode 2 days early which leaves me even more confused for 2 more days than the rest of you Lost fans out there. My hunt to see a Lost star before I left Hawaii (on going now for 2 years) is over! and yes, I was seriously this close, but I need the record to show that I was NOT the most pathetic person there.
The big screen on which we watched the episode.
Me with my fellow pathetic teenagers Natalie and Angela (but Angela will tell you she was just transportation!). Natalie is my partner in crime.
BEN! I will forever think this man is scary.
Jin
"Sun"
"Hurley"
Me and my best friend chillin' at the mall...HA...but it does look that way doesn't it?! That is me and "Kate".
"Jack"
"Sawyer"
We escaped to Maui over the past 3 days for a wonderful family vacation. We had a goal to hit 1 island a year after we moved to Hawaii so we could see it all with no regrets (with the idea that we would never be able to return) and Maui was the last island for us to see. This picture was what Joel and I woke up to our first morning there. There is nothing like morning cartoons on vacation!
Our first stop was whale watching. This was really our main reason for traveling to Maui. It is whale season from December to March and Maui is the breeding and birthing ground for humpback whales traveling all the way from Alaska. Every morning, I would sit on the beach with my coffee and watch whales while the kids played in the surf. It was surreal. This morning I saw 3 whales breach right in a row. This picture was from our whale watch tour. This is a baby calf whale ...can you believe it was this close to us!!!!
Then after the calf played with the boat for awhile (slapping its tail and waving its pectoral fin), the male escort (aka. boyfriend hanging out with mommy and baby) surfaced from right under our boat. There are Asher and Anna right on the railing watching him emerge.
Again, here is the male escort after clearing the boat.
and his tail after a few laps and being tired of us humans.
Our next major adventure was a drive up Haleakala crater to 10,000 feet. We were at the top of the world as Asher was exclaiming as we took this picture.
Jesse and I enjoying the view. Well really he was too cold to do anything but burrow into me. He was the one kid we forgot to pack warm clothes for when anticipating this journey. Well, he is our spare kid (as Joel likes to call him)! I did my best to keep him warm and loved being above the clouds. Another surreal experience.
How can those blue eyes not make your heart stop?!
Anna banana, the expert hiker.
The sunset on top of Haleakala crater...AMAZING!
Just another nice family shot. It isn't often we get us all looking semi in the right direction.
The famous banyan tree in Lahaina, Maui. Yes, this is all ONE tree!
The kids had a blast climbing it despite the "no climbing" signs.
We spent our last afternoon there at the aquarium. That may seem pathetic to you but it was too cold for us locals to play at the beach! Yes, I AM serious. I was wearing a sweatshirt most of the time, something I SWORE I would never do.
The aquarium was awesome. Jesses LOVES fish and was beside himself with excitement running from one tank to another exclaiming "'ISH, 'ISH". We saw turtles, sharks galor in a tunnel passageway, sting rays, every fish imaginable, seahorses, jellyfish, petted starfish, etc. It was a great day and an all around AWESOME family trip.
OK, this picture has nothing to do with the rest of this post, but I had to show it. Joel and I were able to escape to Turtle Bay Resort for 24 hours without kids (thank you Mom and Dad) and this was the view from our room. It was so awesome!!!
We did the hike with some friends of ours. These are their kids Jack (the love of Anna's life) and Kainoa. Normally Anna would have cried this entire hike, but she was the bravest little thing since Jack was around.
Arriving at the top of the hike to one of the "pillboxes".
Jesse and Joel enjoying the beautiful mountains.
The kids exploring the bunker with Adam, Jack, and Kainoa Carvahlo.
More exploring.
and more exploring.
My boys.
Joel and Mary on top of the bunker. I could have sat here all day. It was amazing.
Anna still a little droopy after getting home from the ER. OK, Survivor watchers, can you say "SHAMBO"?!
She is awful proud of these babies now and says that she never wants them to come out!
I think she is going to play this up over the next few days, don't you?
That is Air Force 1 in the background, 1 minute from our house, where it sits everyday waiting to take the 1st family home after their vacation.
Asher helping Anna learn how to use her new roller skates. 
How cute is this?!?!
Asher leaping into Daddy's waiting arms. We found this secluded beach with tide pools and a log to jump off on while Joel was on deployment. Both Anna and Asher have jumped off repeatedly and couldn't wait to take Daddy there and show him.
My boys.
The climbers.
Handsome Asher (he says he wants his hair long again so we are attempting to find some hairstyle that works).
The girls.
