Home!

Ah, Thursday morning.... There are almost always mixed emotions waking up on the morning of the day to return home from a great vacation (Sara: "If only we could stay longer....", Z: "I miss Marcus!"). Sara and I took turns getting some early morning exercise in with one last run along Kaanapali Beach. The entire family took one last dip in the pool before downing a breakfast consisting of "let's eat what's left in the refridgerator!" We cleaned up the condo and headed for the airport.

Our flight plan for the day is a short (as in less than 30 minutes door-to-door) flight to Oahu via Hawaiian Airlines, then non-revving on an American flight from Honolulu to Chicago. As we saw the crowded beaches and high rises as we flew into Honolulu, I have to admit there wasn't anything within me that felt, "Man, I wish we would have gone here instead of Maui."

The biggest adventure of the 3 hour layover at the Honolulu airport was trying to find American's Admirals' Club. Once there, we pretty much owned the place so it was a great place for us to hang out and slam down some lunch.

Thankfully the flight to Chicago was open enough to get us all on, including room in first class for Sara and the boys. Christa and I had a bulkhead in coach so we were not cramped (we just didn't get a hot towel nor the good food). But we had the laptop and pack of DVD's so we were golden! We all got an hour or two of sleep before arriving at 5:40am or so this morning.

What a great trip! Famous quotes include:

• Zachary: "I need a soccer ball!"
• Barrett: "Do we have any more pineapple?"
• Christa: "I think the air smells like roasted hot dogs..." (She was being silly)
• Sara: "Slow down! Slow down!"
• Andy: "How about I swing from the vine first?"

Some first's from the trip include:

• First time snorkeling in the ocean (Z and C)
• First time flying over the Pacific (B, Z, and C)
• First time being within inches of sea turtles, dolphins, and manta ray
• First time walking through a rainforest
• First time swimming in a waterfall pool
• First time driving "The Road to Hana"
• First time watching a sunrise from a volcano
• First time being stopped on a road because of 3 horses that wouldn't budge!

It's an amazing world that God created and we get to explore and enjoy. We look forward to the adventure continuing later this month!