Before I miss it

So it occurs to me that if I don't post now, I probably won't post in August at all. I have a feeling that Laurel is coming at the end of this month (the very end), so the next opportunity to post may not be until early September. So here's a quick rundown of what's been going on.

We had a wonderful time in Hawaii. Here are some more highlights.

Lots of beach time.

The man-made lagoons at Ko'olina on the Leeward Side became my favorite kid-friendly beach. It's far enough from Waikiki that you don't have to worry about crowds or rowdy folks. Lots of people bring their toddlers here. The man-made reefs keep the water nice and calm. And the grass and shade trees are a bonus too.

Happened upon a community festival in the sleepy town of Waialua. There was a Filipino fashion show. :o) So many sequins and Maria Clara sleeves so little time.

And a hula put on by some of the older ladies. It was great. Of course, the vendors gave me free food. What's up with that?

Visit to the Honolulu Zoo. Well worth the price of admission. A nice day for the keiki.

Pali Lookout

Shave ice at Hale Iwa artist festival. Really nice -- the festival, I mean.

Lots of time at Bellows...

...courtesy of Grandpa California.

Breakfast at Bellows Air Force Station included petting a sea turtle.

And lots of time for Meggie to hang out with her two best buddies:

Nanang...

...and Ivy.

Back in Alaska we got to spend about a week with Paw Paw. He and Alan fished, worked on the house and had a great time.

This is the only shot I could get of him.

The weather was gorgeous.


Then it was Alan's birthday on Aug. 8.

I always end up going a little overboard on his birthday. Some years I cook waaaaaaaay too much food. This year I made the cake a little too high. The cake dome wouldn't fit over it.

Devil's food with vanilla cream icing. Chocolate chunks and shavings liberally applied. Mmmmmm it was good.

And we've been busy since then. Seems like Meggie and I have an outing or activity every day. Maybe I'm trying to have lots of fun with her before I get busier with new baby and before Daddy and the two grandmas have to take up more of her time.

It has been raining for the past two weeks. Straight. Really, I'm not joking. But we try not to let it slow us down too much. We went to the zoo this past Tuesday. The trip had been scheduled by our church "Moms and Tots" group. Everyone bailed because of the rain. Everyone, that is, but us. We had a great time and still got to eat our picnic lunch outdoors too.