After enduring the hardest months of my life, post my mom's passing, we went to Hawaii for a week long vacation. Our last vacation was in 2008, so it was long overdue in itself.
Before we left, a quick shot of Ari singing, which she loves doing.
Waiting for our plane.
Ari's first airplane ride.
We made it! Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Penguins on the hotel property.
Jared's mom, dad and sister were in Hawaii, too.
Our balcony.
Beach!
Jared's mom and sister.
At Senior Frogs for dinner. We had a blast! Kyler told the waiter it was his birthday, so they sang to him as we all cracked up. Then Lexi joined aunt Nicole on stage for karaoke.
International Marketplace.
The kids with grandpa.
Jared, the kids and I had a small ceremony for my mom. We spread some ashes along with some beautiful flowers in the water. We had planned on her joining us in Hawaii, so it was especially hard on me going without her. This helped me a little. She was in my mind the entire time and some days were harder than others for me.
Our hotel.
Kyler caught this big frog.
A luau.
Hula lessons in the hotel.
We spent the day sans kids. We rented this 2 seater moped and drove the around the island, just the 2 of us.
Our last day in Hawaii.
Heading to the submarine, sans Ari.
Not the best shot, but there is a turtle on the top. We saw 2 sea turtles, 3 sharks and tons of amazing fish. It was awesome.
My camera died and this was the only shot I got.
The night we returned I dreamt of my mom. She was standing next to my bed with the kids, wearing a Hawaiian dress. To me it meant she was with us the entire time. It made me feel some level of comfort. Especially considering I returned home to her urn, which makes things seem more real.
With less than a month left before school resumes, we need to soak up the rest of the summer. Soon it'll be Lexi's 8th birthday, too!
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