Carter and Mollie

Carter & Mollie got to participate in the Jr High's cultural night. Mollie was of course involved in a soccer game. They came out on top! 

Carter had to be there for a grade. He helped at a book where they did fun paintings. 

And track season arrrived! Carter has discovered running and he is doing really well at it! I LOVE being back in the track scene and surrounded in this positive atmosphere! I have so many great memories from my track days. We really became like a family. So I'm excited for C to have this opportunity. He's decided he's a distance runner and it blows my mind that he can do that! He didn't get that from Chad or I!  

And this is a pic that will melt my heart for years to come! I love seeing kids acknowledge God before they do something hard. I love that they include everyone. I love that they take the time and remember who gave them this talent. I love that they pray for help and strength. It is becoming a lost art. 

Carter is doing so well too!! We are so proud of him. 

 

Afternoon in SLC

It is AMAZING to see all the progress on the SLC temple and on Temple Square. WOW! Its just amazing what they can do. We took a walk around the temple and we are so excited for this to be done some day. We just heard in conference (OCT) that it will be finished now in 2026. They've pushed it back a few times but it will be majestical when its done!

We did a conference center tour and went up on the rooftop too. 

THEN I made them all hike Ensign Peak. It was a really nice day and it was perfect. Despite the whining, we made it to the top and when we got there, the kids decided it was really cool. 25 years ago I hiked this hike with my young women's group in flip flops! I kept reminding the kids that if I could do that, then they could do it in tennis shoes. 

 It really is a cool view from up there! You can see the whole valley. 

Brielle & Rylee

End of school is always funner for elementary kids than big kids. The girls got to participate in their schools annual chalk fight this year. They loved it and were oh so messy!

Yep, that hair won't be blonde again for a while. 

Bri & Sway

Rylee and Max

They also had a cheer competition at Weber state. They actually did really well and took home 1st place!

Super proud of these cuties and all the hard work they've put in over the year at Rage!
 

Leaving on a jet plane

I did NOT want to leave this beautiful place! It was so hard! I could love living by the beach. For the most part, until the storms come! 

 Good Bye Maui! It was lovely!

As unsettling as it was to fly over the ocean for me, the trip back went smoothly and was full of beautiful views like this. Back to real life, back to our kids and dog and all the things! I'm so thankful for the cherished time we got to spend together and the closeness we got to feel. I love Chad and I'm so glad we are adventure buddies as well as lovers. 

Day 6 Beach Day

Although we went to many beaches throughout the week, we both really wanted to just have a chill relaxed day where we could just sit and listen to the waves and put our toes in the warm sand. We studied out the best beach and found that Makenna beach was the best. So we went! 

It was perfectly sunny, perfect sand, perfect temp.....but the water was RAGING! The life guards said over and over to stay out of the water and that they were having a southern swell, the first of the season. We were kinda bummed but just dipped our toes in. The waves were so strong and were crashing on the beach very violently! They said that many spinal injuries happen at this beach because people don't listen. 

After watching people who knew how to maneuver the waves, and many get their butts kicked, Chad decided he was brave enough to go out. He loves being in the ocean! I went out for a bit and was terrified when I felt the sucking feeling of the waves going out beneath my feet. Just when I started to panic again, another wave crashed into me pushing me back to shore. I did that a few times and then decided I was tired of getting my butt kicked!

We went for walks, took pictures, and played in the sand, enjoying lunch again at the beach. 

After we were sufficiently baked, we needed some shaved ice! Yum! It was good, but Hokulia at home is just as good. 

That evening we sat and watched the sunset at our apartments and talked about life and laughed and enjoyed eachothers company. 

We then went for pizza down the street and it was really good! Food here is pricey though!

On our way into our apartment we found this large toad. Its so fun running into random wildlife everywhere! 

 This was a perfect trip to reconnect and refuel my soul. The humidity was blissful most of the time. The sand was stimulating and relaxing and the water was perfect. 10/10 recommend going here!! We loved Maui more than Oahu and would 100% come back! We loved the relaxed beach town feel. Until next time!!!

Day 5 The Road to Hana

We were off EARLY to explore! We have heard alot about The Road to Hana and that it was an all day experience despite the 64 mile distance. It is slow going with over 600 hair pin turns. You get to stop about every 10ish miles to sight see. We left at 7 am and our first stop was the Twin Falls. 

There was bamboo all around and since I've never seen it growing like this, I took a pic. 

When we went to leave there was a rooster behind us. We thought it was so random and funny and had a good laugh as we watched it on the backup camera. 

I can't remember the names of all the stops but we stopped and did several hikes, ate HOT banana bread that was INCREDIBLE and stopped at the rainbow forest. These trees were so cool to see!

We stopped at a place that was crawling with little black crabs. You could explore the tide pools but had to be careful because the tide was aggresive and the rocks were sharp. 

We came across many many waterfalls that were amazing. This one was under the bridge and you would have missed it if you didn't stop. We learned that Maui has so many waterfalls because of the clouds that gather around the volcano and release water that all run down the mountain. 

One stop was Wai' anapanapa black sand beach. I was expecting sand since that was in the description but it was more like rocks. But it was amazing and some of the rocks were so smooth and shiny and it was quite a sight to see. Not really a beach you want to beach at. We watched people playing in the water and over and over big guys getting picked up by the waves and smashed down on to the rocks. We opted to hike around a little instead! We also had our picnic lunch here. 

All the black rock in volcanic rock that over time the water has broken down and turned to sand. Pretty incredible what the ocean can do. 

This tree was on a hike that we took at the end of the road to Hana. Pipiwei Trail was incredible and it led into a bamboo forest. We were hot and humid and sweaty and wet as ever, but we were still enjoying it. This tree was on the trail and it was so cool how more branches grew down to support the branches growing out. Again, this worlds creations are amazing!

Bamboo forest at the end of the trail! It was eerily dark and quiet. You could sometimes hear them hitting together and making the sound of bamboo clanking together. It was neat but a little spooky so we didn't stay long. And again, hungry, hot, wet and tired after a long day of driving!

We drove the road back to our apartment and was surprised at how much longer the road seemed. The locals drive that road like crazy. You can always tell when a local is behind you. It was fun to see coconuts, mangoes and other fruits growing on trees all around. If I was ever homeless, I'd buy a one way ticked to Maui an live off of the land. We were so tired and glad to be back home to shower!