Birthday Hike

 I planned a birthday XC ski day with Karen and Sarah.  Karen ended up hurting her back so wasn't able to go.  Sarah and I were still going to go but the driving conditions at the pass made Sarah nervous (and me too) so we opted for a hike instead.  This also mean Karen could join us.  It was a lovely morning and we just missed the rain.  We also went to lunch on Mercer Island and then browsed a book shop which is one of my favorite things to do. 

I'm thankful for friendships.

Indoor soccer

Bo was asked to play on an indoor soccer team for the winter season. He was a little nervous but he did great. It's definitely a lot faster but he will learn how to get the hang of it.

 

Cold soccer morning

When Darby & Brad were in Hawaii I made sure to send Brad this picture of me freezing at Ollie's soccer game. It was so cold but I had my new Mambe on so I stayed warm. 

Ollie also had a few private training sessions but we had to stop because his legs were hurting him.

 

Lunch break

 Meanwhile back at home I was able to enjoy a lunch date with my friends Amy & Shea.  We went up to the mountain and ate at Dru Bru.  It's always fun catching up with friends. 

Aulani

Darby & Brad spent their last two nights at the Aulani Resort. It's the Disney themed hotel in Hawaii.  I mostly picked it because it has a lazy river and Brad loves a good lazy river.   He gave good report to this one but said it was so crowded it was hard to enjoy it.   (And this isn't the busiest time of year for this hotel). 

They spent most of the day at the hotel and did try to go snorkeling at a nearby Lagoon but it was dumping rain and the rain made the lagoon a little murky. 

 

 We missed them while they were gone but we are thankful they were able to make these memories together. 

Dole, Driving & Starbucks

On their way back down to the south end of Oahu they stopped at the Dole plantation and also Starbucks. They didn't get to do a tour of the Dole Plantation but were able to check out the gift shop.

They also had a fun time driving around in the convertible. 

 

The Pipeline

Brad really wanted to see the big waves on the North shore and they were there when they were big. This also made it a little trickier to actually swim but they both enjoyed watching the surfers. The big surfing show was starting the day they left Hawaii. We will have to plan better next time.