A Week of 'Ohana

My sister & her husband, Michael, joined us on the island for a mini family reunion. Allow me to give y'all a virtual tour of our 7 days together, show & tell style. . .

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Aloha, 'ohana! One creative Hawaiian tradition is to greet loved ones at the airport with fresh flowers made into leis that are to be worn. This 12 hour flight wasn't their greatest pride & joy, but alas, their feet hit our summery grounds, & the week can now begin.

One of the prettiest places on the island: Halona Blowhole. I can marvel at the various shades of blue endlessly, including all of our unintentionally matching shirts. Clay, pointing at the upcoming wave that he judged would be a doozy, & it was.

Oh you know, just a couple of chicks doin' that predictable "ok laugh, even though everyone seeing this in person & in photo form knows there's nothing ever actually funny," picture. Here was our rendition.

Below, Ash looking cute, just a few seconds before Clay called another dicey wave that would knock her off her little sized 6 sandals. But thanks to him, she didn't have to hop back in the jeep as if she rode the Skloosh at Knoebel's Amusement Park in PA.

Below, our fourth aqua blue amigo, just loving life, per his words.

Up next, bicycling. As it being my second favorite hobby, I had to take them the scenic route through our town of Kailua. We biked each day to local shops, the grocery store, the beach, etc., giving us the best miles per gallon one could ask for.

New day, new place (for Ash & Mike, of course). Shark's Cove: the snorkeling spot on the North Shore. We don't have any photos of us during the activity, as we were all in the water, but here's the view. We all saw fish among the coral, & Ash & I managed to cut ourselves a few times on that reef.

Below, you can see who the locals are, hiding from the beaming heat, & who are visiting, catching all that sunshine.

The sun's rays here are hotter than the 4th of July; you'll 100% get torched. A hat can save the facial skin. A hat can also make one look like a child farmer (me).

Speaking of farmers, a festive outing in our town is the Thursday evening Farmer's Market, where there's plenty of local Hawaiian food, home grown produce, & live music. Ash & Micheal were digging those vibes. Although, Ashley resorted to the classical, non-Hawaiian, next door location for dinner: pizza.

Black & white because - burnt. You can probably see it in my puffy, worn out eyes that I haven't been sittin' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the tides roll away, for days on end, in ... forever. Because Clay & I live at the beach, we never do "full day stays" at the ocean front. We catch our vitamin D in daily doses from just living among the outdoor nature. Plus, him & I are just too antsy to plop a squat for hours (lol).

Ladies & gentleman, believe me when I say the mountains here are even more breathtaking in person. No picture will ever do this island's landscape a pure justice. But one can pose by them. Yes, we absolutely color coordinated with our planned rompers, because - sissy's for life.

Our seven "feelin' like the Grieco girls again" days has come & gone, just like the trade winds here, so now it's just a "remember when," just like our maiden name.

Family is one of the most treasurable gifts God can give us in this world. Although we will never live under the same roof or even the same town again, we will always have each other in this wonderful, chaotic, lovely, stressful, yet all together beautiful life. Until next time, 'ohana.