Forever Friends

We recently spent a brief moment in West Virginia. There is a larger post coming but here's a preview: my best friends' kids and mine, all hanging crazily together as if they were old buddies.

Although not the most polished of photos, because everyone here is clearly a mess, it's my favorite.

another mess photo leading up to the "good" one

crazy photo #3

Ah.  The "best" one.  It was impossible to capture a smiley mug of all seven kids, against all our best efforts. [sigh]  Someday.

Love these kids. Love their parents.  We are all forever friends.

We are Gamers

We bought Andrew his first Wii game the other day; got a steal on the used version of "Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga." He L.O.V.E.S. it and is surprisingly good at it!  It has been a nice reward for desirable behaviors.  Just now, all the boys had a really good time figuring out some things on the latest level.

This afternoon's conquest: Water Wiggle Worm

VICTORY!

Easter Sunday

Last Sunday, we headed over to my friend Jennifer's for an egg hunt with Ben!

The game is ready to begin.... May the odds be evah in your favor!

Then we hung out at the playground for a bit.

Up to no good, say those looks.

Jennifer: the queen of multi-tasking.

After we got home and had naps, it was time for some backyard water play on the gorgeous day.

Mickey and Boba Fett's Hawaiian Adventures, Chapter Seven: Final Island Day then Home!

Monday, April 2 was our final day on the island.  We would be boarding a bus for the airport that afternoon to face nearly 24 hours of travel and get to see Andrew and Ethan again on Tuesday evening.

So, we made the most of the day.

MK woke up for an early run on the Waikiki beach trail.  These three photos were taken from her phone along the run.  It was beautiful and she felt safe being all alone since there were so many other people running around at 6:00 am.  Jon did this same run a few days earlier.

Having this view made the miles fly by.

Here we are by the Duke statue.  He won numerous Olympic medals for his surfing in the early 1900s and is credited with introducing surfing to the eastern seaboard.  People honor him by hanging leis on his arms.  We thought this was a nice thing to do with ours so we did the same.

Then it was off to Hilo Hattie for some shopping!  We just had to pose with the world's largest aloha shirt!

Then, as we mentioned, it was travel, delay, travel, delay, travel.  Once we finally got on the bus in Charlotte, the Humbers showed their excitement about being so near home.

It was an amazing, unforgettable trip.  Being in Hawaii for five full days was incredible. We loved it.  But, we came home very tired and a little frustrated.  So, this final Charlotte to Columbia bus photo sums up the end pretty nicely.

Field Day!

It's been dadgum busy 'round these parts.

I still have Hawaii pics to post, as well as those from Easter. 

The posts will come. So for now, there is this.

Today was our school's annual field day. I got to spend the entire day playing water games with 3- to 12-year-olds. SO FUN!!! Of course I love teaching music, but a vacation from it from time to time is also nice. This ranks right up there with one of my most fun days of school this year.

some of my favorite 4th graders get doused at 8:30 am.  good times.

Scuba Diving in Oahu

Jon and I became certified open water divers in 2004. In that year, we did some dives in Oahu, and dove in the Mexican Riviera Maya near Cancun in 2006.

Then, the babies came.

Last Sunday, we dove for the first time in six years.  To say that we were a bit rusty would be an understatement.  Still, though, the dive master crazily took us along and we had an amazing time.

The boat took us a few miles offshore to a site called the Ewa Pinnacles and then to a tugboat where Navy Seals are trained. We saw beautiful lava formations and tons of amazing animals.  And although we did not get a photo of it, we saw a humpback whale VERY NEAR our boat in between dives, which was incredible and a definite first for me.

After the slightly frightening 80-foot descent down the rope, I was calmed by my first sight of wildlife: this sweet guy, resting on the bottom.

In true MK fashion, here's the typical crazed diving eye.

Looking up.  I am so glad we did this!

Jon

MK, checking air, checking gauges, checking, checking, checking...

MK

MK, now more relaxed, striking a pose

Jon, showing off his textbook example of equalization

The photos that follow are from the second dive, the tugboat.  Jon did this dive by himself, because I had become seasick for the first time ever and opted to "feed the fish" from the bow of the boat, rather than do it 50 feet underwater through my regulator.  A good move.  I sure missed some cool sights, though.  Fellow band director Dave took the shots of Jon.

See the ray?

Jon also saw a 6-foot white-tipped reef shark. The photo didn't turn out well, though.

We vow to dive again before 2018!  We must.  It is just too much fun.