Changes, but they're good!

Life has been moving so fast, and so many things in my corner of the world have changed. Change can be a hard thing, but I actually don't mind the change. I like a fresh start, a new outlook. It's refreshing and challenging and makes life that much more interesting.

CHANGE #1:
In July 2009, I went back to school to get my real estate license. After completing the course and a few months of studying and passing the state and national exams, I had my real estate license. When you're a new real estate agent, the State of Colorado requires that you "hang" your license with a managing broker, or another agent with two plus years experience. I interviewed a couple different brokerage firms that appealed to me before making my selection. I chose a large company to be apart of. The training was intense at the beginning. There was a lot of come to this meeting, do this marketing strategy, hold these many open houses per week, and the list went on. After about six months and no clients or leads and quite a bit frustration, I found another brokerage firm that better matched my needs and acknowledged and welcomed that I had two kids (at the time) that I was raising during the day while my husband worked full time. I was so excited to have found this firm and I ended up switching brokerage firms. The company name was bigger, the owners were interested in helping me launch this career and make it a success. There was a lot of come to this meeting and let us teach you. Within a few months, I had leads coming my way. And, by the end of September, I had my first closing, and then another a week later, and then one more in November. I was feeling very confident. I was working the referral system that my broker had helped me put in place and it was working like a charm.


After those leads and closings, things just kind of came to a halt. I was still pursuing business and did daily and weekly activities to gain clients. I had some leads. Nothing that was going to be an immediate sell, but leads nonetheless. Then, I got an email from my broker saying that we needed to have a meeting to re-up my independent contractor agreement. So, I went in for the meeting. I had a feeling things weren't going to go well when it was a Saturday morning and I recognized both owners' cars in the parking lot. Generally, you'd only find one car, unless there was a special event, which there wasn't this Saturday. I went inside, made my way to the conference room and waited. I had brought my business plans, activities I had been doing, and questions. There was a bit of chit-chat that came crashing to a halt when I was asked if I would rather stay home with my children and raise them and lose my job OR would I rather work 8-10 hour shifts, 6 days a week, putting my children in daycare. First off, I couldn't believe that my employing broker was throwing an ultimatum at me. But, I didn't even blink, I immediately said "I choose my family." They suggested another brokerage firm that I could go work for, one that didn't require as much as they were going to require out of me. I left that meeting, called my husband and he said he already had a feeling this was going to happen simply because of the time and changes the owners had already made to the meeting. Funny thing is, I never cried or felt poorly about this. And, that afternoon, one of the owners emailed me to tell me that she still thought very highly of me and thought I was lovely person, but that they had to make a business decision. She knew what my choice would be, and she was right.

 After much prayer and discussions with my husband and God, it's very clear that my place (at least for now) is to be home with my children, raising them, spending time with them, teaching them, loving on them. And, I think that as important as it is to show our children that they can be whatever they want to be and it's good to pursue our dreams, I think it's good to be humbled by God and shown that His way for us triumphs all. I truly believe this is an act of God, and I feel he has slammed the door shut on my real estate career. I'm not sure if it will be reopened. And, I'm okay not knowing. God has proven time and time again that He will provide for my family and I. All we need to do is trust with our whole hearts. And, we need to realize that things in our life will happen in His timing and not our own.

And, with that said (about God's timing in our lives), comes CHANGE #2:

When Kevin and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary early this month, we were discussing what our 5-year and 10-year plans looked like. We talked about where we wanted to be financially, spiritually, career-wise, geographically and as a family. One of the biggest things we felt God was telling us that he wanted us to pursue was leading our own LifeGroup (small Bible study group) with people from our church. We were currently in a LifeGroup and we weren't really thinking of changing or leaving. It was all part of our 5-year plan. But, then, things happened and one Sunday, our LifeGroup leader approached us asking Kevin to lunch and then expressing that they felt that God was moving them in a different direction to stop leading the group and to take on a new challenge. After the lunch, our LifeGroup leaders decided to step down, and we stepped up to become the new leaders. Our group consists of three families (including ours). Both families are near and dear to us and we were thrilled at the challenge of leading this group. It's just amazing to me how you set a timeline for your life and something you plan to do, and God says, nope, now! Amazes me.

As we enter into this time of new challenges and new, fresh things ahead, it makes me so excited. I am willing to do whatever God has called me to do. And, I really believe that when you open your heart to what He has to teach you, and where He has to lead you, you will never be lead astray. So, here's to our changes...

Halloween pictures

We all had such a great time dressing up for Halloween. And, the kids really enjoyed going trick or treating. Here's some fun photos of the four of us Brooklyn (the cheerleader), Tierney (the inky black kitty), Kev and I (roman prince and princess), our niece Kendall (Tinkerbell) and our nephew John (the baby footballer).

We hope everyone had a safe Halloween. And, we're really excited that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! This is by far the best time of year!!!!

A Special Weekend

This past weekend, I got to experience something quite amazing. My father-in-law is a Vietnam vet. He hasn't really kept in touch with those that he served with, and while I've seen the photos of him over in war, I haven't heard all the "war stories," which I think could be interesting. Every year, the men he served with get together for a reunion and this year my in-laws had plans of going, but plans changed and they didn't make it to the reunion. I was kind of sad that they weren't going to be able to go because I thought it would be a great time and besides they never get away, and I thought this would be a good opportunity for that. So I was surprised and excited for my father-in-law when we found out three of the men he served with were planning a trip to come see him!

Three men - Alan, Tommy and Terry - arrived at my in-law's house on Friday afternoon. Two of them live in Texas and the other in Iowa. The whole weekend was spent talking, reminiscing and sharing life together for those few days. My family and I went over on Saturday to meet them and talk with them. My brother-in-law was there too and this was fun because it was like the old vets meeting the newer vet since my brother-in-law just got back from a tour in Iraq in February. They had a lot in common and a lot they could talk about that only military men would understand. These men were so friendly. Sometimes the conversations would have you in stitches and sometimes it would have you in tears. The things these men remembered including my father-in-law amazed me.

I was really bummed when I learned from Kevin on the ride home that I missed the battle story where all four men walked through the day my father-in-law got shot because I was putting the girls (my two and my niece) down for their naps. I have always wanted to hear that story, but never asked because it feels like such a sensitive subject. Kevin told me that everyone was teary-eyed as the story went on. He said the group got ambushed immediately after leaving the helicopter behind. The men on the front line ended up fighting with their hands, knives and the bottom parts of their guns rather than through gunfire because they were simply too close to the enemy. One man on the front line survived, Terry. Kevin said all the men said his dad was way too modest because he really was a true hero that day saving lots of men's lives. There were a lot of men that pretended to be dead so they would make it out alive.

Kevin's dad was never supposed to make it out alive. He wasn't supposed to live. Ahh, I can't wrap my mind around this because my life would be so changed. One of the men said that we should all consider my father-in-law a hero to which my brother-in-law said he always considered his father his hero. Ahh, heartwrenching. I know that Kevin feels the same way. My father-in-law is an amazing man who has been through a lot, who is very down-to-earth, has a very hands-on approach to life and who would do anything for his family. And, I love that these men came to visit him. As Kevin said they did it for him, but they also did it for themselves. I was so glad that I got to be a part of such a special weekend.

Alan, Dan (my father-in-law), Tommy & Terry

My sweet baby

My baby is growing up, a little too fast for me though. She's now six months old - half a year old. At her doctor's appointment last week, she weighed in at 15 pounds, 10 ounces (25th percentile) and is 26 inces tall (95th percentile). She's quite a good size baby. She's already wearing a few 12 month outifts, which to me is crazy because as I pull those outfits out, I remember Brooklyn getting them at her first birthday party. And, she's already wearing a size two shoe, which once again Brooklyn wore at age one, but Brooklyn does have small feet.Kevin and I have decided that Tierney will be even more mischevious than her sister is or was simply because she watches everything her sister does and we can tell she's taking notes. The other night as Brooklyn was running back and forth from our living room into the kitchen, Tierney who was playing in the living room started screaming and crying as Brooklyn ran past her. When Brooklyn would stop, so would Tierney. She has an amazing grip and go-go-gadget arms that fly in every direction to grab the thing she wants, and she most always gets it. She sits up pretty well, but loves being on her tummy so much, she'd rather do that. And, even though, babies don't typically crawl until they're nine months, she has got the army crawl, scoot across the floor thing down pretty good. On her tummy, she can turn in a complete circle just for fun, or she'll roll across the floor to get what she wants. She isn't quite strong enough to hold up her body and actually crawl, but I have decided that it's okay, because once she's mobile, oh how things will change! She's been eating solid foods for about two months, and I really haven't found anything she doesn't like. She'll eat it all. So very, very different from Brooklyn, my non-sweet eater. The only challenge we have with Tierney is she really isn't interested in sleep, day or night. I think there's too much going on and too much she feels she might miss out on if she sleeps. But, give the girl a nice warm bubble bath and a massage with lotion, and she will sleep a little longer than normal. We have a few other techniques we've been using to help her fall asleep and stay asleep longer. And, while the nighttime awakenings can be very tiresome, she always puts on a pretty smile and cuddles, so it's all okay.

And, since I get to stay home with my girlies, I get to watch how they play, love on and irritate each other on a regular basis and I can say nothing is sweeter. Brooklyn really loves being a big sister, I think now more than when Tierney was first born, simply because Tierney is a bit more mobile and actually able to play a bit instead of just lay there. And, Tierney is the sweet little sister whose eyes light up when she sees her sister walk into the room or when she pays attention to her. They're going to be the best of friends, I can already tell.

I was always worried before Tierney was born that I wouldn't be able to love another child with the intensity and passion that I love Brooklyn with, but I was wrong, I can. Your heart just grows as my mom told me and it's so true. My life wasn't complete without my sweet baby Tierney, just as it wasn't without Brooklyn or Kevin in my life. I feel so very, very blessed for my family and love the chance to get to be a part of my girl's everyday, every moment life.

What happens when it snows

Here's what our family does when it hasn't snowed more than 2 inches in over 2 months. We were all pretty psyched to get out in the snow and play.

Brooklyn sledding down the driveway

Brooklyn and Daddy tackling each other

Brooklyn sledding down the Daddy-made hill And, Tierney being a baby slept through it all

Support our Troops

My brother-in-law serving over in Iraq
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PRAYER FOR THE TROOPS
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives, do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
-John 14:27

Father, we approach You as the Most High God. We declare that You are the Creator of all things. You set the boundaries of the sea, and stretched out the heavens above. When You act Lord, no one can reverse it, and there is no one who can deliver out of Your hand.

We ask Lord that Your mighty hand of protection would be with our troops, that You would surround them with Your favor as a shield. Bless them in the land, and do not surrender them to the desire of their foes.

I pray that Your hand of protection would guard them from chemical and biological agents. Give our soldiers wisdom in staying clear of these weapons, and thwart the plans of the enemy to use them.

I ask for discernment in separating civilians from soldiers. Help our troops to protect the innocent, and to watch over the needy as they liberate the Iraqi people.

Go before them Lord as they press into the battle and be their rear guard. Surround them with songs of deliverance, and keep them from the hands of the enemy.

In Jesus name, Amen.

The Results are in...

Our ultrasound on Monday indicated we'd be having a...

But, it's not 100 percent as the little man won't totally cooperate with us. No girl parts were seen though. So, we're preparing to welcome our little man to the family! We're all very excited, including my dad who has waited this long to have a boy in the family!!
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And, on another note, if you get a chance, read Kevin's blog today. I just loved it. It gives you something to think about.

Baseball Fever

Kevin and I have such bad Baseball Fever. We cannot wait for opening day of our favorite team, the Colorado Rockies. Maybe part of our anticipation and excitement is because of what the Rox did last year as they made their run to the World Series. Maybe it's in part because we love the whole atmosphere of baseball games - the hot dogs, the scorecards, the cheers, the songs, the 7th inning stretch, the peanuts, the crowd, the wave. Maybe it's because we are both big fans of baseball as a sport, and because we both understand what's going on all the time (Kevin's an avid sports fan and I played competitive girls fast-pitch softball for 4+ years). We've even turned our little girl into a baseball fan. Whenever we drive by Coors Field, she sees something baseball related or we mention the Rockies, she'll raise her arms and scream "Go Rockies!"

We only have exactly one more week left until opening day festivities and to see our men in purple in action as we cheer from our seats, a row above the out-of-town scoreboard. This day marks the beginning of a busy weekend for us as we have the opening day game next Friday, our anniversary on Saturday, the second game on Sunday and a Wiggles concert on Monday. But, hey, we couldn't be more excited!!

As a sidenote: It probably doesn't help our anticipation any that we started playing a baseball video game last night. It was a re-match from the World Series .. the Sox against the Rox and the Sox won again. I was "controlling" the Rockies, and let's just say, I left a lot of bases loaded, but I did have one amazing home run thanks to Matt Holliday.

Isn't it time for a change?

Today marks the first day of Spring. Yea! Spring means warmer weather, rain showers, blooming flowers, grass turning green .. everything just springs back to life. The air feels fresher, the sun feels warmer and the days are longer.

Spring also brings a sense of renewal. And, a time for reflection. And, even a time to start things anew or change your way of thinking.

My family had quite a scare last night. My dad called me soon after I got home from work, as I was preparing dinner, to let me know my mom was in the hospital's ER and had been taken there from her job via ambulance. She was experiencing sharp, stabbing chest pains, on the left side, leading her to believe she was having a heart attack. When my dad called me, he didn't know anymore than that and that the doctors had done some testing (EKG, blood work, etc.) and that they were giving her nitro-glycerin (which would help her if she was indeed having a heart attack). After questioning him, searching for answers, I was on my way down to the hospital. On my way, I called family and close family friends to ask for prayers for my mom. My sister and I arrived at the same time, and walked in together, and embraced our mom with hugs the minute we saw her.

After waiting and waiting and waiting, I finally got her nurse to tell me what was going on since the test results were back - everything was negative meaning no heart attack. A couple hours later, a ER doctor stepped into the room to go into further detail. He said that with the test results coming back negative, chances are that it wasn't a heart attack, but indicated that those tests are 100 percent, and they'd need to do another round in six hours. He suggested admitting her overnight for observation and a possible stress test in the morning. He also said there was a 2-5 percent chance that this was a heart attack, or heart related, so he couldn't rule that out completely, just yet.

A couple hours later, all of us, but my dad who stayed with her, said our goodbyes to let her get some rest with a request if anything changes to call. As I crawled into bed last night, I was so worried about my mom, even though the doctor said chances are everything is fine. When I awoke this morning, I called for an update. The second round of test results showed negative again, and a couple hours later the doctor told my mom that her heart is healthy. And, that the pain she was having was most likely a combination of extreme stress related to her job and a major flare up of her fibromylagia. The doctor would like her to follow up with her doctor in the next couple months to get a stress test done.

My mom is now in the comfort of her home, and no longer on the ER gurney. Her doctor gave her a note saying she wasn't allowed to go to work today, even though that was her first thought - to go into work this afternoon. And, tomorrow, going to work is up to my mom and how she feels. My hope is she stays home, and has a nice long weekend to rest and not have to face the stress of her job again so soon allowing her body to heal and calm down some.

I need my mom around. My world just wouldn't function without her. My family wouldn't function without her. My mom is the kind of person to take on every task no matter what it is and fulfill it 4000 percent. She's really loving, gentle, caring, friendly, strong, sensitive, a giver not a taker ... just simply a wonderful woman inside and out. But, she doesn't always take care of herself, and I am praying very hard that with this experience, she will try something new and start taking care of herself. Because, like I said, I need her around, heck, everyone that knows my mom needs her around and not just for what she does for each and every one of us, but simply for who she is. Our world is so much better because we know her and have her in our lives, and because she loves us.

Finally....

Kevin and I made a big leap and decision within the past month or two. We decided to get a new computer, or rather a new laptop.

Our home computer was one that my parents bought me before my sophomore year in college, so it's safe to say that the computer was going on ten years old. That's kind of old for a computer. Every time we would pull our computer up, we would hope that it wouldn't give us the infamous error message of having no memory, therefore, not allowing us to perform any real actions on it. When we went on the Internet, we hoped it would let us do what we wanted. And, the real challenge was being able to have a large amount of patience as we waited for any program to upload. We were both used to our work computers, so when the computer would run a little (or actually a lot slower), we would try and do things too fast - oh wait, that was just me. I think our computer knew when I was going to use it and got real mad and didn't want any part of it, so it responded with error messages, or simply just freezing up. But, don't get me wrong here, this computer has seen me through all of my college term papers, hundreds of newspaper articles - basically all of my college work was on here. When Brooklyn was born, it became the home base for over 1,400 pictures from her life before she even turned one. So, it's really been faithful to us, but as happens with all old things, sometimes they slow down, and sometimes they die.

In our case, our computer had slowed down. That was until we brought the laptop home with us, and then, sniffing out the new laptop, our computer died. This happened, of course, when we were trying to download all of our 1,400 plus pictures off the computer and onto a flash drive. Our computer didn't like that we were trying to take things away from her, so her best defense was to die. We could only open her in Safe Mode, meaning there was no way to get the photos off. After we both made several attempts to revive her, finding it was useless, I called several computer repair shops and got a deal on bringing our computer in to get files off of it. But, when Kevin came home that night, he gave it one last stab to see he could get it to work. When the screen came up, there was the word "force" there, and he choose that option. So, slowly, we loaded the pictures onto our camera's memory card, and then on the laptop. After a couple nights of doing this, we were finally finished.

We were totally wrong to have the pictures all stored on the computer, and now that we realize that, we are going to be burning CDs with the photos. But, they really did have to go somewhere, and we don't like to get all of our photos printed right away. Let me tell you, it was wonderful to look at all the pictures from the past two years to see how much our princess has changed. She has really grown up. We really had no clue that she had such little hair toward her sixth and seventh months, and had such a chubby face, and chubby legs with rolls. I guess when you are in the midst of living life with your baby, you don't necessarily notice all the changes that you can see by the captured photo. Having got these pictures off our dying computer meant so much to us. I would be very, very sad if we couldn't have gotten them off.

Anyway, back to our laptop...

We also made the decision to go from dial-up service to high-speed internet. I know, as Kevin's brother would say, we were living in the dark ages. Even my parents have high-speed internet! So, today, we got our high-speed internet installed, and it's wonderful. So quick and smooth from one website to another, and we don't have to wait for a ten minutes for a page to load. Yea! To initiate the high-speed internet, I went on to YouTube with Brooklyn and found a song she likes from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I think we made a wise decision, and it seems like everyone will get something out of the decision that took us almost three years to make. That is everyone, but the dog.

Cousins

There's nothing like a cousin. They aren't your sister or brother, so chances are you won't have much quarreling or rivalry, and sometimes if you're lucky, they're better than a friend because they are family and always have your back. I am the oldest grandchild on my dad's side of the family, thus meaning I am the oldest cousin, and I have 12 cousins. I have very fond memories of sleepovers with all the cousins at grandma's house, playing doctor or house during a family get together and at Christmastime we would all get together to perform a play for the rest of the family. Those were the best times.

Now, that I'm a mother, and my daughter has a cousin that is 13 months older than her, it excites me. I want them to have fond memories of their childhood together, just like I do. I want them to be close, and get every opportunity to play and enjoy each other. At Thanksgiving, I got a glimpse of what their relationship will be like. As we were over at my brother-in-law's house, Brooklyn and Kendall (my niece, her cousin) were sitting at Kendall's table and "eating" the meal they prepared for themselves. A cupcake for Kendall and veggies and a hot dog for Brooklyn. They seemed to communicate with one another in their own language and you could tell they knew what the other one was saying. They ended the night with a big hug and kiss, and of course all parents had their cameras safely tucked away. When they were done, and the cameras were out, we couldn't capture the moment...but it was very sweet! They are both very precious, very intelligent, very loving and very special girls. And, I can't wait to see their relationship flourish.

Brooklyn & Kendall at Gramma & Grampa's house in August
Brooklyn chasing Kendall through the yard.
I know what Brooklyn was thinking..."If I
get my hands on you, we're hugging!!"

The girls at White Fence Farm in October.
Another photo opportunity missed when the
goat jumped up on Kendall's back because
the girls were getting ready to feed it.

Maui is really PARADISE!

Our vacation was simply perfect. We were in paradise getting to spend 8 glorious days on Maui, only 60 steps from the beach. The first thing we did, sink our toes in the sand! Brooklyn was a little hesitant of the beach and the ocean at first, but as the days wore on, she became more familiar, but didn't like it when mommy pretended to be swept away by a wave crashing on the shore. Our first morning in paradise, Brooklyn, Kevin and I took a walk on the beach before the sun came up. It was such an incredible experience. So peaceful and serene. We spent quite a bit of time relaxing by playing in the pool or boogie boarding at the beach. I'll admit, I was a chicken, a huge chicken, the first day we tried boogie boarding. I was quite aways from shore and told my mom who was swimming with me that I pretended my boogie board was a door off the Titanic. I know, chicken!! But, I finally warmed up to it and was the person who used the boogie board the most, next to my sister. And, boy, were my muscles sore too.

We got to visit Lahania, the shopping district of Maui. My grandma warned us that during the day it was darn hot there because there were no tradewinds like were we were staying, but did we listen, no. We went there in the middle of the day, and not the end, and boy were we warm! One of the most interesting things about Hawaiian shops is almost every store carries alcohol. The grocery store pretty much has a full liquor store on one side, and the all famous ABC Store has quite a liquor selection too! There's definitely something to be said of the ABC Store, where you can buy a pint of milk and a Hawaiian dress in the same purchase. The ABC Store was our go to store for chocolate covered macadamia nuts - the best candy I have ever tasted. My parents had the right idea bringing home a "briefcase" of them. But, knowing my dad, the chocoholic, they're gone now!!

We got to attend a luau at the Maui Prince Hotel in Makena. The host, Warren Molina, left us all with a chuckle. He made no attempt to conceal he wanted to rip off the tea leaves of the hula dancers as personal conquests and half the women in the audience too! And, all with the smile of a used car salesman. Brooklyn was very wide-eyed when the fire dancer came out and started to eat the fire! She wasn't sure what to think! My sister fell in love with one of the male hula dancers. She wanted to take him home!! My dad caught 47 minutes of the luau on his camcorder, but cut it off when the male dancers came up to do a dance that indeed made my sister turn all shades of red.

On Thursday morning, my mom, dad, sister, Kevin and I headed to our zip lining adventure. We got on all our gear, and headed for our 1/2 mile hike up onto Haleakala Ranch. The guides taught us the history of the ranch and each zip line course was named after a Hawaiian bird. There were 5 zip lines, and each one became longer, faster and higher up than the last. The key was to stay straight and land feet first. However, we seemed to struggle a bit with this as we landed backwards quite a few times, to the point where the guides were making little jokes that they knew we were all related. The last zip though it didn't matter how you were positioned, just as long as you didn't hit the pole on the other side. This zip was 750 feet across and 100 feet up in the air. You had to run off the cliff and once you got going, the ride was like 20 seconds to other side at a speed of 40 m.p.h. One of the guides had to grab you by the feet and pull you onto this movable ladder for you to walk off of. We all had such interesting experiences with the landing. Kevin was the first to go on the last zip and he said the guide freaked him into thinking something was wrong. I was second, the guide had trouble guiding me to the ladder. My sister came next, and the guide pulled her shoe and sock off when he tried to stop her. My mom's landing was the most classic. The guide grabbed for her, and she lifted him about 6-7 feet in the air. So, she took him for a ride! My dad being really tall, got on the ladder very easily. It was such a rush and so much fun that we all agreed we should do it again. While we were on the adventure, Brooklyn and my grandma stayed at the condo, went to lunch at the Sand Witch, walked along the beach and took a nap.

The only downside to our vacation in paradise was our plane ride home. And, I will just leave with this post Kevin put up because it sums it up and is pretty funny too!!

Maui is such a beautiful place that we would love to get back to again! ALOHA~~~

Moakalakaleauke....

ALOHA!

Tomorrow (and for 8 days),
my family and I will be doing some of this... building some of these...
learning to do this...
watching some of this...enjoying views like this...

and even this...
and pretty much doing a lot of this...as long as we don't come back looking like this, we'll be okay...so have a good week and remember to...

Zip zip zipping along...

In the midst of me stressing over illnesses in my household, wondering when my family members would get better, wanting to make them feel better right now, and not really wanting to work on a Tuesday, I talked to my mom about our Maui trip.

We have all tossed ideas around about doing a fun, adventurous activity for some time now. I mentioned that we should try a zip line tour, after kayaking with the sea turtles was turned down because of the fear of swimming with animals and my husband's dislike for kayaking.

After much consideration and discussion, I just booked our reservation on the zip line tour. For those of you not familiar with a zip line, here's the Wikipedia (wink, wink Kev) definition...
"Zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. They are designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to traverse from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable, usually made of stainless steel, by holding on or attaching to the freely moving pulley. Zip-lines come in many forms, most often used as a means of entertainment. They may be short and low, intended for child's play and found on some playgrounds. Longer and higher rides are often used as a means of accessing unusual areas (a rainforest canopy for instance) or found at outdoor adventure camps where they are usually one element on a larger challenge or ropes course." NOTE: for those of you with kids, think the show Go! Diego Go!
Our tour is definitely not something you would find on a playground! We'll be soaring over gulches and through the trees along the slopes of one of the world's largest volcanoes. The tour blends a short hiking experience with five zip line crossings, an “Indiana Jones” style swinging bridge, and an introduction to Hawaii’s unique and fragile landscape. The tour website promises a one-of-a-kind adventure giving us memories that we'll "talk about for years to come."

I just got the email confirmation and in the notes section, it says "customer should not have an extreme fear of heights." Well, I am pretty afraid of heights in that I won't go more than 2-3 rungs on the ladder at any given time, but this is going to be an adventure, so I'm all in!

17 days and counting...

We're heading to Hawaii, the island of Maui, for 9 glorious days in paradise! It's going to be a family vacation as 7 of us are going: Kevin, Brooklyn, my Mom, Dad, Grandma, Sister and I. All of us are very excited, and can't wait for the day to be here. It will be so nice to sink our toes in the sand. Here are some pictures of where we are staying...are you drooling, Mom??

This is the resort we'll be staying at.
The pool is the largest in Kihei.

Our condo is 60 steps from the beach...
and you can take a 5-mile walk once you get on the beach.

Oceanside tennis courts!
I have already challenged my Dad to a match.

Isn't the grass really green!?!

Oceanside BBQ grills...how fun!!