Maui!

I follow a local travel advisor on Facebook and Twitter, YYC Deals, and back in May he posted an alert about seat sales to Maui. Ken and I jumped on it and booked a vacation for the two of us - eight months in advance. And I guess that's the way we have to do things: non-refundable, and far enough away so that the calendar doesn't look too busy. As it turned out Ken had a super crazy January with his job and his calling, and we never would have taken a trip if it weren't already booked and paid for.

We stayed at the Royal Lahaina Resort in an ocean view room. We slept with the sliding doors open and really soaked up the gorgeous weather.

The mats in the elevators were useful reminders of reality; it would be easy to lose track of days on a vacation like this. In fact, at the end of our trip Ken and I were having so much trouble remembering what we had done on which day that he started building an Excel spreadsheet to figure it out.

I do remember that I did 7 am resort sponsored oceanside yoga on Monday morning. This is my view from my mat. As for the 7am start time, it was no big deal. Hawaii is just the perfect amount of jet lag. I also did one 7 am Pilates class at the resort, and I went for a run one morning as well. Ken did a long bike ride one day, and I think we both discovered that we feel pretty invincible at sea level when it comes to cardio.

Royal Lahaina Resort hosts a formal luau 6 nights a week. Along with the luau they have a professional photographer who will sell you a 5x7 at the end of the evening, which of course we bought, but I wish they would get with the times and go digital. This is a pictures of a picture.

At our table in our Hawaiian finery, with sun setting and the beach behind us.

Dinner

Dancing

The luau pork was dynamite and the show with the variety of dances was completely entertaining.

Actually, we ate well almost everywhere we went.

We had dinner at Dukes one night, just a little ways up the beach walk from us.

This is the place in Kihei where I had the best falafels of my life!

The town of Lahaina was just south of us, and we really enjoyed the proscuitto and arugula pizza at Longhi's. Also in Lahaina we had various treats like shaved ice and macadamia nut gelato. The burger of the month at our resort was a blend of sausage and ground beef with a garlic aioli and a grilled peach, which was dynamite. But the best restaurant we tried on that side of the island, by far, was called Basil Tomatoes, and it was on the same drive as our hotel. Ken had the cioppino, and I had seared opah (Hawaiian fish) with risotto and asparagus. They really know how to grill fish in Hawaii - I ordered similar meals more than once.

Ken really loves to drive and get the lay of the land on a holiday, so when we weren't floating on the ocean or laying on the sand we toured around the island. We took the west loop as far as we could go before we approached the section of the road that is currently closed on weekdays. The sign at this blow hole reminded us that it was not a water park, and not to go near as it might suck us down and out into the ocean. Behind it we could see whales, which we saw (along with porpoises) every day. We also drove south as far as we could go and found out the difference between the Big Beach (in Makena) and the Little Beach (also in Makena)(nudity).

We concluded we liked our area of Kaanapali Beach best,  and Ken is planning a timely return.

Basketball

Carmen is in her second year on the senior girls basketball team. She managed to both sprain and strain her ankle at the beginning of the season, so she plays with a brace on her left foot. It took her awhile to get used to, but it isn't slowing her down any more.

Carmen has really developed her left lay-up, and frequently draws a foul for an extra point.

As always, Carmen's defence stands out.

And now, a word about her coach this year. The man is a basketball genius, and has these girls playing together unlike any other junior high team. They are undefeated in their league, and the best of friends.

Mornings around here

With Carmen in early morning seminary this year, Chloe and I get some quality time together most mornings. Several of my friends go for a run together during seminary, but I have declined because I like spending that time with my girl. Most of the time it is hairdo's and piano, but once in awhile we make a special breakfast.

Breakfast Fruit Pizza

Crust:

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup chopped nuts
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
5 (maybe a little more) T coconut oil, melted
1/4 c honey, warmed and blended with the coconut oil

Mix and press into a 10" round. Bake 325 x 18 minutes.

2-3 cups vanilla yogurt

Assorted fruit for topping

I forgot to blog about Christmas Eve

And we had so much fun, how could I have not blogged about it?

We love to host Christmas Eve at our house, and we've done it for years. I like to include a formal game of some kind. In the past we've played pass-the-present, board games, minute-to-win-it, and we've had a few talent shows. This year we played Family Feud.

Our contestants

Grandma and Grandpa were team captains and chose players for their teams. I was the game show creator, so I couldn't play - instead I hosted.

Ahead of time I emailed out a questionnaire to the entire extended family that I'd created on Survey Monkey. The responses made up our game.

It got pretty exciting. Grandpa's team nearly made a come-back, but in the end Team Grandma won.

There was a prize for the winners (which they shared), but there was also a pinata, so loot all around.

Chloe was our most fierce competitor, both in Family Feud and in the dive for candy after the pinata broke.

It was a shocking amount of candy!

Christmas and New Years Photos

We didn't take hardly any pictures on Christmas Day.

(Ken did snap this one on Christmas morning.)

We didn't take any pictures at all during our ski trip over New Years, but I am a sucker for the professional action shots available on the hill:

Carmen

Chloe

Barb

Steven

Ken

Camille (my niece)

 It was just too cold to pull my hand out of my glove to take a picture! 

Last Week

My new cookie press needs some breaking in - we had to use the trigger plus pressure on top to make it work.

I think sugar cookies are my favourite Christmas baking to do with the kids. Everyone likes doing it, and we have a good time.

Carmen had a couple of friends over to get ready for the Christmas Dance together.

On Saturday we went sledding on *Olson Hill* as some people call it.

It looks like Chloe likes to sit in the second position.

Steven left his snowboard pants at home, so he stayed upright on the sleds.

Our cousins met up with us for some extended family fun.

Ross didn't break a stride from arriving to hitting the hill.

Emma took a little more time to get going.

Chloe behind Erica

Kevin and Whitney in a double-decker

The natural evolution from the double-decker was the log cabin on three sleds.

No pictures of me sledding (because I was holding the camera and I didn't sled), but here I am with a few other school council members at a service lunch we provided to teachers in High River (photo pulled from Facebook).

A picture or two

The french horn is a very Christmas-y looking instrument.

The community of High River is still struggling following the flooding this past summer. Our school filled stockings for elementary students at Ecole Joe Clark, and Carmen was part of group of students who delivered them.

My office got creative with our Christmas party this year!

Dog sledding (a first for me!) followed by sushi and a gift-stealing secret-Santa gift exchange.

Jaclyn's Mission Advent Calendar

Dollarama has the cutest clothes-pin-backed stocking advent garland right now, and another missionary mom I know threw out an idea recently of collecting Christmas notes from friends and family to send to her missionary, so I put it together into something for Jaclyn. Thanks to the people on Facebook and my direct email for making this happen! We found the cutest little cards to fill with everyone's well wishes, and we added some small gift cards here and there. And by 'we', I guess at this point I mean Carmen and Chloe. They put it together. Carmen wrote a stern note in Day 1 about only opening one day at a time, and Chloe wrote all sorts of silliness in the last day. 

What do you think the chances are that Jaclyn reads Carmen's and Chloe's messages (and every card in between) on the day it arrives in her mailbox?

Chloe's Best Diner

If we should grow up to do what we love, Chloe should really have a restaurant. She has played restaurant for as long as I can remember, and the menu continues to improve.

A couple of Sundays ago Chloe made roast pork, potato wedges, and steamed vegetables, with brownies, ice cream, and chocolate sauce for dessert. This time the restaurant was a fine dining establishment with candles and a posted menu.

Earlier in the year, Chloe had to do an assignment that included future plans - so she made a diorama of her future restaurant. I wish all homework was this fun! Note several awards on the wall, above. 

And from this angle you can see the autographed celebrity photographs on the wall. Chloe's Best Diner is going to have a waiting list, no doubt. Lucky for me, I'll know the chef.

Volleyball might be the most difficult sport to photograph

Because the player only has 'possession' of the ball for like half a second!

Carmen in the middle

Carmen about to hit

Looks like another hit

Waiting for the ball I can photograph no problem

A set

And her team finished off the season with a Bronze Medal at Zones. Way to go girls!

Take Your Kid to Work Day - November 6

I wasn't going to post about this because of the blood, but Carmen pointed out to me that her aunts have mostly already seen this on her Instagram, so I may as well.

Alberta has a province-wide day every fall for 9th graders to go to work with a parent and learn about their workplace. Jaclyn and Steven went to Ken's work when they went through grade 9 - I see the appeal with the glamour of downtown, and going out for lunch with Dad. (My lunch breaks are only 30 minutes, no time for eating out.) 

But Carmen chose to come to my office because she likes blood and guts - she wants to be a trauma surgeon.

Dr. Fairbanks gave Carmen exactly what she was looking for with a bone graft.

Carmen leaned in all day with many patients who were all very good sports. And she even got to go out for lunch with Steven, since the high school is just down the street from my office.