Coming out of Hybernation

As the sun peeks it's rays down on the freshly uncovered green grass and the last pile of snow melts, I think to myself we made it through one more winter here in Iowa! Woo Hoo!!!! Lots of snow and cold chilly weather later we are all doing well and are excited to get outside and enjoy nature and get some Vitamin D. We recently went on a trip to Oregon. My famiy suggested we come out for a few weeks as they sensed my winter dillusions. We were fortunate enough to be able to drop the kids off with family and head to Hawaii for a week just Joseph and I. Joseph was so excited to go back to see his old Mission Stomping Grounds and I was glad to share it with him. We got to Hawaii the day before the recent Tsunami warning, we woke up to a bombard of text messages asking if we were ok. We had no idea what was going on so we turned on the news and sure enough the beaches were closed, so we made a quick decision to head out of Waikiki and head towards the center of the island. The day was actually sunny and nice and we enjoyed seeing the countryside of Oahu. By the end of the day we were back on the beach and we were able to enjoy beach time the rest of our trip. We got lucky and got a free upgrade to a Convertable Mustang so cruisin around the island was the favorite part of the trip for me. We had plenty of shaved ice, puka dogs and sushi. I also loved my morning lox and bagel, so so yummy. I just love Hawaii, it is my favorite place I've ever been. I love everything about it and want to go back again soon. It was nice to get to know my husband again after 2 years of really hard work at school we had a lot of catching up to do. Once we got back from Hawaii Joseph quickly flew back to Iowa to start studying for Boards which he just finished up...whew! and the kids and I stayed in Oregon for two weeks and hung out with family and friends. My kids loved playing with their 11 nieces and nephews and also their Poppy and Grandma and Aunt's and Uncles. They ask if we can see them every morning now. My two brothers had their new babies blessed together and we had a huge family celebration afterwards. It's crazy now when we all get together, the house is full and the kids are all over the place playing. It is so awesome! I love my family and can't wait to be closer to them someday. I flew home by myself with the two kids which was actually not hard at all. They both did great on the plane, to be honest they are better flyers than myself. I'm a big ball of anxiety when I fly. We are home now, I put up summer flowers all around the house to cheer it up a bit and am looking forward to the next couple of months as we are working on getting some concrete plans for the future. We are done here this coming February so the clock is a tickin. We know the "real world" will be our next adventure and that it will not be easy but we are ready to be done with the school and on to the next challenge. Peace and Love to you all!!! Enjoy the pics:)