Where have I been?

Wow, been awhile since I have updated on my life! I've been so busy living life that I haven't had time! Last night I returned from San Francisco from another Holt fundraising event. I know, I am so spoiled that I can travel for fun! It was so nice to see my friends again and catch up with 'old' friends and those I haven't seen in awhile.

I love seeing my friends and meeting new friends. How fun is that! This event was called the Silk Bag Luncheon. It is different than the other events for Holt, but was nice seeing how it is run. The main difference is that each host/hostess of a table decorates and sets the table however they choose. I was panicked to see empty tables Saturday night, but Sunday morning came and the tables were being set and they turned out beautiful! I wanted to include the pics of the tables:

These are just a few of the tables, if I were to include all of them on here, it would be a very long array of photos!

What a Birthday!

For my oldest daughter who turned 17 yesterday! So what is on the wish list of a soon to be 17 year old? Here's a clue: But that is only a toy car:
But imagine her surprise when she opens a box with a set of keys and then hears a car alarm going off! She looks around and says, 'uh uh!' and runs to the garage this is what she sees:
Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!Now that's a birthday!

Do daily beauty products lift you up?

Mine do because I use all Philosophy products. No, I am not selling Philosophy, but it really has made a difference in how I start off my day. I am one that loves to be in sweats and t-shirts, so don't be thinking I am high maintenance, far from it! So I want to share what I read each day and how it lifts me up, it really has helped me with my positive thinking:

My shampoo: Shear Splendor~(quoting)'we dream of the perfect life, perfect health, the perfect relationship even perfect hair. in doing so we lose sight of the most perfect thing there is. we call it 'the perfect plan'. it is the invisible energy life force that directs our every move, every triumph and every set back. it is a master plan that requires no perfection of God's plan. and in sickness and in health you drop to your knees and say thank-you for every perfect note played in your life's theme song. no matter what note is being played, we are required to dance.'

My conditioner~Shear splendor-'too often we are conditioned to believe that splendor comes from only the big events or the rollercoaster rides. yet the truest splendor is often ignited by the tiny spark of a child's innocent smile, by laughing with friends or by the daily ritual of falling in love over and over again with the same person. discover your splendor in the reality of what is simple, what is pure and what is real.'

Now I am switching to this conditioner: Amazing grace~'it is not 'if' we will lose the things we love, it is 'when.' with some, the loss comes in a major catastophic event. for most, love is surrendered one piece at a time...first childhood, a promising romance, the passing of a loved one, and finally a child who leaves home. but as we lose, can we not gain a deep knowing that in the presence of grace, love is eternal.'

My daily and nightly face cleanser: Purity~'purity is natural. we come into this world with all the right instincts. we are innocent, and therefore perceive things as they should be, rather than how they are. our conscience is clear, our hands are clean. and the world at large is truly beautiful. it is at this time we feel most blessed. to begin feeling young again, we must begin with the most basic step of all; the daily riutal of cleansing.'

My face wash when I feel like a teenager and I have acne: On a clear day~'what would it be like to have unblemished skin? well, there is no such thing. if skin were that perfect then that wouldn't be real, and you are real, we are sure of that. instead on focsing on what's wrong, focus on what is right.'

My shower gel: Empowermint~'become invisible. require no applause. never show off. no people pleasing. take yor directives from above, not below. be accountable for your mistakes. consider integrity and perserverance the keys to your success. strive to act on the higher good of yourself and others most importantly of all understand the value of daily rituals...wake-up, say a prayer of gratitude, potty, brush your teeth, work-out or work-in, breakfast, shower, prepare yourelf, prepare your children, and begin the most important day of your life. daily rituals are as important as daily prayers. when we lose them we lose our empowerment and in time we lose our way'.(this one was what helped me the most be more positive)

My daily face moisturizer: Hope in a jar~'where there is hope there can be faith. where there is faith miracles can occur.'

Extra moisturizer for when I feel I need that extra bit of help: Save me~'sometimes we just need to be saved from ourselves or from another.'

My body moisturizer: Amazing grace~'how you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. and, so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one big gigantic lesson. in the end, it all comes down to one word. grace. it's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light.'

How can I NOT be more positive after reading all of that on a daily basis!

What defines a Family?

Growing up and knowing I was adopted, did I feel like my family was 'my' family? Of course I did! I finally had a mom, a dad and a sister! I had parents that loved me unconditionally and cared for me thru thick and thin as a child. My sister and I were very close, we shared everything including a room. I think I grew up in a typical family household.

Then my parents divorced. Life changed dramatically for me. I felt alone and forgotten, but still determined to be happy and lead the life I was given. Where did my strength come from? Did it come from my birth parents? Did it come from my adoptive parents? Ah, the question of nature vs. nurture. For me, I feel it is both, I am living proof. It will be interesting to watch my youngest grow up and see her personality blossom and then look at the same question of nature vs. nurture.

The only time I didn't feel like my adoptive family was 'my' family was when I was in school and I had to do the family tree project...I dreaded that! Here I was full Korean and no knowledge of my birth parents and my adoptive parents were Swedish and German...kind of obvious when it came time for me to explain my family tree. I wish I knew then what I know today, thank goodness I will have this knowledge for my youngest. I have talked to other adoptive parents for their ideas on family trees and I was so impressed!

I'm not saying other adoptive kids, even my own daughter, will feel the way I did about this project but it is so nice to have other ideas and options. I always think about how our country today is so concerned about being politically correct. I think we have gone overboard on that. I don't expect my kids' schools to completely do away with the family tree project, I just think parents need to have other options and not get too offended. I can give my family as an example: Why do away with this project when I have two biological children? Shouldn't they be proud of their heritage too? Just because they weren't adopted, should we send a message to them saying because one child was adopted, their option of discovering their heritage isn't important? As parents, we need to make sure we teach our children to be proud of who they are and in my family's case, where they came from too.

So growing up and feeling alone, who did I turn to? My friends. I was with my friends a lot, they became my family and their families became mine. With them, I felt at home. My relationship with my sister had deteriated, my mom was concentrating on herself(this is the way I saw it and how I felt)and my dad remarried, so I had to rely on my friends.

Now as a 'grown up' the friends I have made throughout the years, I consider them to be my family. I call my two friends in Oregon(e) my Sistahs because I feel like they are my sisters. We shared wonderful trips together that were very emotional and close to our hearts. Today, I love both of them like sisters. I am so thankful for technology so we can stay in touch. When my friends go thru good times and bad times, I can be there for them and they for me. THAT IS FAMILY! I know I can rely on my friends for anything; for support, for prayer, to celebrate, to cry, to laugh, to 'spoon'!

I am blessed with the ability to be able to travel so if I want to see my friends, I can. I love to give gifts just because, not because it is expected, then it comes from my heart.

So for my friends out there in this big world, I love you and thank you for being there for me and most of all, for being a part of my family! (now where are my sunglasses...)

Winter 101 for my Sistah OA

I love Winter...it is so beautiful, so as my kids were all wishing for a snow day today, I was anticipating how much snow I would have to shovel. Call me crazy, but I actually like to shovel. So this is our house sparkling with the newly fallen snow:The side of our house, isn't it beautiful!So, no snow day for my kids, they were bummed, but hey then they still get out of school before the end of May. With my hubby out of town, it's up to me to clear off the driveway. This is our snow blower, love using it, it's so powerful and really makes quick work of removing the snow:
But I chose to use this:And Sistah OA, I got this much accomplished before 7:45am:Then after my youngest left for school, it was back outside for me to tackle the rest of the snow. The snow was the light and fluffy kind, that is why I chose the shovel, plus I get a workout in at the same time! I bundle up, sorry, no picture of me, didn't think of that. I actually take my time shoveling, I enjoy it that much. The sun is shining more and the snow is sparkling like diamonds and what girl doesn't like diamonds?!! Maybe that is why I love the snow so much! After half an hour, this is the end result:
And this:I didn't enjoy this part as much, I felt the wind and cold more and the sidewalk seemed endless, but still no complaining from me. I am no longer a perfectionist, but I am particular about my shoveling. We are on the corner so we get the majority of the plowed snow and the end of the driveway gets all the big chunks of snow and sand so I have to clear that too. Not nearly as fun doing it over and over again thru/out the day when the plow keeps coming, but at least they are out.

Sistah OA, I am only giving you a hard time because of your 'winter' day with ice on your windshield and your 'ice scraper' was a cd cover. I love my weather channel and the daily weather forecast, therefore, I am prepared for what is to come the next day and I can plan the start of my day. I hope that your day started off better, but you did make me laugh and I thank you for that. I could so picture all of you during your morning! Love and Hugs to you!

Imagine That!

What a surprise just from watching a tv show. I love watching the Travel Channel, my dream is to travel the world. So what better show to watch than one titled: '25 Mind Blowing Escapes'. I just happened upon this show when the kids went to bed. I was hooked because it counted down from 25 so now I HAD to finish watching it to find out what the number one mind blowing escape was!

My hubby joined me when the countdown was in the single digits. As the countdown got closer to number one, I was fascinated by the places, now I want to go to them myself! I tell my hubby that we HAVE to go to all of these places, let's write them all down on pieces of paper and draw one out every year and go to that place! I'm not sure he was as excited about that idea as I was.

So the Number One Mind Blowing Escape...

Angkor Wat!! And to think I have been there!! Imagine that! I would have never thought in my lifetime I would see one of the seven wonders of the world, let alone see it again on tv as being listed as the number one mind blowing escape! The whole trip last April was truly amazing for me and to share it with my Sistahs and meet a wonderful couple from Hawaii, priceless! It was HOT to say the least but the experience will last me a lifetime! Lil ole me, imagine that...

Children's Ages

As I talk about my age and how I view myself and think of myself as feeling younger than what my age says, I can see that my kids sure see themselves as older than how young they really are. My oldest daughter that will be 17 on Sunday, enough said, she's been thinking she's been old enough for everything since she was 8! But there is a silver lining for those of you out there with daugthers reaching 16 and 17...at least for us there was a silver lining. My daughter has really turned it around and has become a very pleasant person to be around!

Now comes my youngest daughter who is 9 years old...yes, you guessed it, she really, really wants to be like her older siblings. Last Saturday, I spent the majority of the day with her at her cheerleading competition. Her team placed 2nd and only one tenth of a point from first place! So as we were driving home, you think that would be the topic of conversation, no. All of a sudden she asks me, 'Would you be mad at me if I said something about the other kids in our family?' 'Um, no' (thinking to myself, what the heck happened today, this whole afternoon was all about her) As she continues to talk, she is sniffling...is she crying? What is going on? She continues to say how she really wants a cell phone, everyone else in the family has one and she's the only one that doesn't have one. She continues with letting me know that especially for cheer competitions, she had to use someone else's cell phone to find me in the audience.

Trust me, we've had these discussions before, many, many times! My youngest daughter sees her sister getting new cell phones like they are candy, partly because she has ruined them. Then along came her brother getting his cell phone. Let me preface by saying when and why my oldest daughter was given a cell phone when she entered the 6th grade. By this time, she was entering into her third year of competitive figure skating. She was skating Monday thru Friday at 5:30AM then going to school. After school, she either had ballet or strength training or more practice. Most of her training was downtown or close to so we gave her the cell phone for safety purposes.

Then our son entered into the sixth grade and therefore, he was given his own cell phone. Mind you for those of you that have both boys and girls in your household, there are differences in maturity levels and responsibility levels. Let's just say we had to work an entire year prior to him getting a real cell phone. We had him practice taking one of the 'dead' old cell phones with him everywhere he went as if it were activated. He still has to work on taking his cell phone EVERYWHERE he goes! Boys!!

So back to my 9 year old..I had to explain to her that having a cell phone was a HUGE responsibility and also a HUGE privilege. Plus, I had to point out to her that the cell phones her brother and sister have are technically mommy and daddy's because we pay for the service montly so we can take them away anytime we feel the privilege is being abused or some other incident caused this punishment. Trust me, for my oldest daughter, taking away her cell phone is like cutting her off from her entire world!

My 9 year old has problems showing us her level of responsibility so I told her she really has to work on showing us she will be ready when she enters the 6th grade, which will be in two years. I also pointed out to her that we will not let her have a cell phone any earlier because we set the age for all of our kids and if we budged for her, how fair is that and wouldn't that show the other two preferential treatment towards her? As parents we try so hard to be fair to all of our kids don't we? So hard for her to be patient when she sees her brother and sister get this or do that and she so wants to be like them...she is only 9 years old! I have to keep reminding myself of her age too at times, sometimes I expect her to act like she is as old as her siblings!

Our kids want to be older and us adults want to be younger...but really, I am very happy being my age, I wouldn't want to go back for the entire world!

Is Age just a Number?

For me, it is just a number. Literally, my age is a total 'guess', my birthdate was estimated, at least this is what I think happened. Being 'abandoned' in Korea then placed in the hospital, my first known place of where I was in Korea. Isn't that weird? My two oldest kids were born in a hospital, so that is also their first known place of where they 'were'. But, unlike my kids, I do not have the knowledge of my birthplace, I can place a name to my kids' hospitals and cities. My youngest daughter, she too is adopted from Korea. Her known birthplace, I just read it again on her papers, but with not knowing the geography of Korea, I really don't know 'where exactly' her birthplace is. I know the city though and surprised to see it on the map.

I have deviated from the title of this blog...this wasn't about my age or even about me since it was my husband's birthday yesterday. He is four months older than I am, but I love to point out to him that he is SO much older than I am, I do this to him every year. He just shakes his head at me. If he is four months older than I am, does that make us the 'same' age? Let's not get too technical here. (Actually in Korea, I am considered 41 years old already, but like I said, let's not get too technical here)

My oldest daughter will be turning 17 this Sunday. So why do I not feel like I am old enough to be a mother of a 17 year old? Do I look 'old enough'? I don't have gray hair, my hubby does though so he does get mistaken for being older than he is. Does gray hair make a person look older?

What else makes a person look older? Wrinkles? Posture? Teeth? Hair style? Clothes? What about a person's job title? The type of house one lives in; the type of car one drives? Nowadays, ALL of those things can be altered in some way. And for some, living beyond one's means is the way they choose to go to try and achieve what they think they have pictured in their heads. Is that worth it?

We are all judged by first impressions. I have been judged all my life because I am a different race. Kids are cruel, but let's face it, adults are just as cruel and where do our kids learn to judge in the first place? BUT! No matter if a person is a different race or not, we are all judged because of something different. It's all about growing up and maturing. It's tough growing up though no matter who you are.

To me, age is just a number. I act goofy, I love jokes, I love being funny, that attitude got me thru a lot in my life and still does(I got my sense of humor from my father, thanks dad!). But then there are the times when I have to turn on the 'maturity switch' and I am very good at that. I learned that from a very young age. I 'had' to act this way and not that way. In public, there were set expectations as to how I was to act. But I don't like to be so serious all the time, so what you see is what you get!

By the way, I love being married to an 'older' man!

Priorities

We all find ourselves busy, busy...too busy to do this, too busy to do that. How 'busy' are we really? My family's schedule, yeah very crazy, but I call it a 'good crazy' because my kids are doing what THEY want to do, not what I said they have to do(as in activities).

Depending on ages, I guess priorities differ. I think for me, my priorities have stayed the same, family first since I always wanted a family. So I think that is why scheduling my family's activities doesn't stress me out. Now I know I will get some opinions from people saying I have it easy, why? Because I don't work full-time or 'we have it made' or this and that. Excuses. I'm done with excuses. I don't feel the need to explain to people if they don't take the time to get to know me, right?

Effort...I think we all need to make more of an effort. More of an effort to be happy. More of an effort to reach out to others. More of an effort to take time and truly enjoy the little things in life, like right now, it is BEAUTIFUL outside, it's snowing!! The snowflakes are big and swirling down...I love it! I love newly fallen snow on the ground, it blankets everything in a new white 'down-filled' looking blanket. How cozy is that! Call me crazy, but I love winter.

I have to make more of an effort to stop saying I am so tired. I am tired though in the mornings, I am NOT a morning person, I never have been. I do get a lot done after I wake up though, but sometimes it doesn't show, but how can one miss the five loads of laundry that are folded or that we are no longer walking on crumbs and sand on the floor and emails are caught up and any changes to schedules are noted and passed along. Years ago, I wouldn't give myself credit for doing these things. I thought they were piddly things, but what if I didn't do the five loads of laundry...our laundry room is quite the site when laundry piles up, like after our vacation and the clothes exploded out of the laundry chute, literally. And yes, I am particular about my laundry sorting...darks, light darks, reds, all whites, lights, towels, and jeans. My family still shakes their heads at me, but boy when their clothes are done, they sure appreciate it then! Really, I don't mind doing the laundry. I've done my own laundry since I was a pre-teen.

Thank goodness I have these skills along with cooking and cleaning. The jobs I had as a pre-teen and teenager, babysitting; teen years, I bussed tables, now that is a yucky job. If I think about it too much, I wouldn't be able to eat out anymore and I love to go out to eat! I also cleaned rooms in a hotel...talk about yuck! Some of you, I've shared my stories and what I would and wouldn't use at a hotel. I also cleaned houses with my sister.

(Insert: the snow is really coming down now! It's BEE-U-T-FUL!)

So back to my priorities. Why talk about my jobs I had? Because now I hate cleaning and I don't stress out about my house being sparkling clean. Not my first priority. My house is lived in, not a showcase. I have come to the realization that if I don't use something, then it's collecting dust and why have it then? I've prioritized to make my life more simple. I don't stress out about things anymore. I prioritize to make more of an effort to enjoy my life, live for the moment. I know, I know, sounds so contrived, but to actually DO that, try it, it's great.

Who Am I?

Actually, I know who I am. I have many titles though: First and foremost, the biggest title I have is 'Mom', but my first title I received was 'Wife', for without this first title, I wouldn't have the title of mom. Those that know me know I married my high school sweetheart. Actually, we started dating just after 8th grade and I had just turned 14! I always say when I think of my own kids at 14, that is way too young! LOL! But I knew I would marry this person I met at this young age.

Now imagine staying with the same person since that age...growing up together, maturing together, tough ages too! Peer pressures, school pressures, family pressures, life pressures! We made it, but it wasn't all smooth. I really tested our relationship, part of that was due to me just trying to figure out who I was. We came from two totally different backgrounds. To survive all of my 'tests' my partner had to be strong or just as strong as I wanted to be. We both graduated from college and then married.

So then came my second title and THE title that I am known for, 'Mom'. Since I was little, I knew that is all I wanted to be, a mom. So now that I was a stay at home mom in a world where families are made up of two incomes, I didn't give myself credit for being a stay at home mom. Being a stay at home mom was my choice though, along with my husband. In the beginning wow, we were naive and good thing, because we thought we had made it as a family of three and my husband was making an income of $35,000.00 in 1992. We became a family of four two years later and we were still a one income family. As our family grew, so did my husband's career and thus, so did his income level.

We have been a family of five since 1998 and STILL a one income family. I think people assumed my husband's income was very high due to his title at work, people assume way too much don't they? But today yes, we are very, very fortunate and blessed. We made it work in the past, we prioritized, Skip worked very hard at work but I never, ever prayed for more money. I prayed always for things to work out, but never for more money.

With my title of mom came more titles: Scheduler, Room Parent, Chauffer, Team Manager, along with the automatic titles of Cook, Maid, and Nurse. This is what I 'signed' up for though. BUT with all these titles, I lost who I was, who was 'Kim'? As mothers, we put everyone ahead of ourselves(dads, I know you do the same, but this is about me right now and this is my blog, ok?). It's tough being a parent, it's tough being a career person, it's tough living life!

So how did I find myself? It took a lot of hard work, determination, AND maturity. I have made mistakes in the past, who hassn't? Hopefully we learn from the mistakes(which I have, thank goodness)and I finally put myself FIRST! I have learned that I 'allowed' myself to put myself first and I allowed myself to be deserving. I have gone thru a lot in my past and everything I felt I attached myself to was somehow 'taken' away. Those that know me know my story, it' a long story! I think it all started by being validated, we all need validation. I got validated by someone I hadn't even met or talked to, amazing how things work. That was just the beginning...

The next huge step for me was to step out of my comfort zone. That came in 2005 when I traveled to Korea for the first time all by myself. Needless to say, I was scared, you-know-what-less! My whole world literally opened up for me and I haven't stopped since! I talked a little bit about my travels, but it's more about my growth within. I gained a new title in the past two years, 'Board of Directors'. Wow huh? And to think I was a little orphan at one point...

What title am I most proud of? My M-O-M title. To be a mom was what I always wanted to be and I achieved it! My proudest title. And with my growth, I have given myself credit for my choice to be a stay at home mom(I always want to preface by saying that this is my life, my choices, whatever anyone else decides to do, good for you, be happy with your own choices, I know my limits and I know I could not be both a full-time worker and a full time mom, because no matter what, you are always a full time mom) .

I have given myself the right to deserve all that is good in my life, I've come a long way. I'm still growing and maturing and it's a good thing, I love this stage in my life. I woudn't trade my past, for my past made me who I am today, but I would never want to start all over again! It's great seeing my own kids grow and do what they want to do. I loved school, I had my fun and now I'm still having fun doing what I want to do! It's a great feeling knowing who I am! Trust me though, I still have my moody days!!

Tradition

With Christmas traditions, we set up the Christmas tree or trees in our case. So then comes the tradition of taking them down...not what I always look forward to, BUT we had to do it today...me and my big mouth! I got Skip all fired up, but more than just taking down our trees, he was in a cleaning frenzy! He cleaned out his closet, again..he cleaned out his closet before winter...I know, he's out of control! Must have been inspired by watching his favorite movie last night, "Braveheart". I hate to be his new group of employees at work this week, watchout! We did clear out a lot of things today so I do feel better and the house looks better. And ladies, stand back, he's all mine: This is how he decided to dress for our day of cleaning! Poor Erika, even her boyfriend saw him this way!! I tried to warn him before he came in...I think Erika is numb to it all by now. I said this is what turning 41 looks like huh. I can't wait til he turns 42!! Wa wa wee woo!!

Good Morning, Good Year

Kind of weird to wake up on January 4th and that be the first day of the new year waking up at my house. What a wonderful 2007 I had. Looking back, wow! I have grown up so much(finally)and I can say I am very proud of myself. I know I am a calmer person too which is such a great feeling, I think of it as peace within. I don't know if peace comes from years of life experiences or a mind set, in my case I think it is both. I have learned that I can only control myself and therefore, controls my emotions and my outlook. I think Skip and the kids appreciate my peace within too because it really has made me a happier person. Not that I wasn't happy growing up, it's about being happy with myself.

I have come out of my shell and stepped out of my comfort zone to the point that I want to share this feeling with others. I have told my life story in public several times now, something I dreaded growing up, getting in front of people and speaking. When I tell my story, I tell people that this has been my life and my views and my way of dealing with life. I am not telling others they should or should not feel a certain way. Every person has a story to tell and when you start telling your story, you never know who you will touch.

I look back at my travels and amaze myself that my first international traveling I did was in 2005 when I was 38 years old. I love traveling and when I was little, I wanted to travel the world so after high school, I really wanted to join the Peace Corps, but went onto college instead as that was more expected of me. So now I am amazed I get to travel the world. I know, I know, having the means to travel and the flexibility to travel like I do helps, but with anything in life, if you put your mind to it and prioritize, you can achieve your goals. Skip and I had some very, very lean years, our choice, but we made it work and now we have been blessed with our patience.

After my panic attack with my passport before my last Korea trip, I made sure to renew my passport immediately upon returning home, which I did and I got my new one before our trip to Hawaii so now I am ready to travel once more! Where do I want to travel to this year? China is first and foremost on my list to see Holt's programs there. I want to go back to Vietnam and see the finished product of the orphange our work team 'worked' on. In Cambodia, I would like to see the progress of our family preservation program and the continued growth of the PAK computer learning lab. I loved all of the staff I met in Vietnam and Cambodia. What great dedication and passion they all had for our children.

Our other countries that Holt is involved in of course I want to travel there too, this year will be busy! My other travels this year will also include college visits for my oldest daughter, I can't believe that! Spring break, we have a family trip planned to NYC. Other places I want to travel for fun: Australia, Jamaica, Africa, Alaska, another Hawaiin island, Swedan(gotta see Skip's motherland!)and all the usual sights within the United States that I have yet to see.

Our family is very busy with three kids in school, all three kids in all of their activities, but I make it a point to make it work and most importantly, fit in fun family outings.

I have met many new friends during my travels too. What a bonus for me. I do make it a point to stay in touch the best I can. I know life gets busy for people but like all things, making the effort to stay in touch is up to me. So for those of you I have met, thank you for your continued friendships and for touching my life. 2008, here I come!

Pictures from our day heading home

After lunch, ya gotta have dessert: Mouth is watering...If you want to catch 'The Bus":Just look for "TheBus":Chilaxin at the gate...Erika is in the background talking to Todd...awww:Brick Breaker playoff:
Now it's Skip's turn, think Kora is spent(with eye mask on):

Maybe the ledge is more comfortable:
Yes, I have to agree, the ledge is more comfortable:
Ummm, I didn't sign up for this adventure...help!
Erika, don't be hatin':

Parasailing

Here's the gang waiting(once again in the rain)to board the boat for parasailing.

Looking at the fish as we continue to wait... Yes! Here comes the boat!The chute all of a sudden takes off!
The shoreline behind us:
Kora and Daddy showin how cool they are in Hawaiin: It's almost time for Kora and Daddy:Hold on tight Kora! And they're off:Now look how high they are, 1,000 feet!Can you see them?
Erika and Taylor taking off!
Wow, they are high:
You really can't tell, but these two are really blowing around, it was windy:A message being sent up to Erika and Taylor, says "Out of Gas" it was funny:Here they come: Safe landing!
Taylor is ready to be done, he's soaked! The driver cuts the engine and those that are parasailing, you get dipped into the ocean then brought back up:
Everyone getting their gear off an finding some 'dry' clothing:

Everyone had a great time. The driver and helper on the boat were great guys. Was rainy and windy, but anyone knows you have to experience parasiling if you haven't.

We headed back to our hotel room, we consolidated into one room so everyone got showered and dressed and ready to hit the road. Our flight didn't leave until 8:00pm so we still had the whole day ahead of us. So we chose to do Skip's favorite thing, SHOP! Found another mall, THE one Erika has been wanting to shop at because it has a Juicy Couture store in it. She was in heaven! Not too sure about Skip when he had to use the credit card again! But Erika did get some ca-ute clothes!

We had lunch in the very crowded food court, there are just so many people around Waikiki! Did some more shopping, but we all soon 'pooped' out and headed to the airport early, which is an understatement, we got there at 3:30, but it was nice just chilaxin at the gate.

We arrived home safely, tired but safe! Always nice to be home and use your own shower and have more than one room to walk around in. Now for the laundry...Reality strikes again even though I did laundry while at the hotel, but I have to say, I had a wonderful time with my family. The experience of Waikiki and having everyday with just my family, priceless! I have been blessed with such a great start to the new year, I can't wait to have fun in 2008!