After a 12-hour journey door to door, Lauren was still full of energy (or just unbelievably overtired .... take your pick) and jubilantly performed for us at the airport in Hawaii with Pop-Pop Mark's cane while waiting for our ride.
Bright and early on our first morning there, she was put to work squeezing fresh o.j. with Daniel, a task she gladly welcomed.
Then it was down to the harbor for her first foray into standup paddling with Uncle Brian and cousin Ryan.
Of course, the surf was the highest it's been in 8 years.
Yowza.
Luckily the waves were not too bad in the secluded portion of the harbor so they loaded up and were off.
It was a standing room only audience.
Followed by some wave jumping.
Not to mention water ballet.
New Years' Eve was spent chillin' at the house.
With amazing food.
Like Brian's fresh scungilli salad.
And Debbie's from-scratch manicotti.
At 7 p.m. Hawaii time, it was midnight in New York. So right after dinner, we were able to watch the ball drop and count down the seconds to ring in 2013.
The first moments of the New Year were greeted with plenty of whooping.
Shortly followed by clapping.
And cutting a rug.
Fast forward to New Years' Day, when I hung back with the boys to watch the Rose Bowl.
Yes, it's great that Stanford won, but The Band was particularly awesome (even if I am a little prejudiced).
Lauren was surrounded by the love of 3 great dogs during our stay.
Not to mention a family of turkeys that live across the street.
Our little bookworm made her way through 5 American Girl doll chapter books during the week, often engrossed on the lanai.
We also were treated by Dad to a great dinner out at Bubba Gump's, which made me so full I swear I never wanted to eat again (although I did, believe me).
On one day, a few of the more adventurous in our group engaged in a little parasailing. Can you guess who?
Come a little closer now......
There they are - one rockin' Nana with her grandsons!
The next day we all headed to a tiny secluded beach (only 24 cars allowed), with a cove perfect for swimming and snorkeling, and rocks that were ideal for climbing and viewing everything from small octopus to sea urchins.
One afternoon, we went to see Daniel and Ryan at paddle practice. Outrigger canoeing. Wow. That is one physical sport, let me tell you.
Of course I wanted to learn how to do it. So the next morning, we launched the boys' own canoe and Ryan gave me a lesson.
Besides being flipped once early on and getting bonked on the head by the boat (the bruise is still there), learning how to paddle was exhilarating. Seriously, I loved it. So much so that I'm looking into a local paddle club that meets on Sundays in Corona del Mar for fun.
That morning, Lauren got another paddle board ride with Brian.
Then I tried my hand at it (very fun, but I liked the outrigger canoeing much better - think it may be the speed and the feeling of accomplishment resulting from working in perfect unison with someone else).
Lauren got to spend lots of treasured time at the house in the mornings and evenings with her cousins.
And Maxxie.
On our second to last day in paradise, I made plans to take Lauren swimming with dolphins. Mom and Deb came along, and we stopped on the way at the Four Seasons for some amazing lillikoi iced tea.
And the world's largest shave ice for Lauren.
At which time she also happened to meet Lauren, also born in the same month and year, who was visiting from Rancho Santa Fe. Instant bffs, I tell you.
Soon enough, however, it was time to head to the Hilton Waikoloa for our dolphin adventure.
We joined a small group and other than very cold water temps, had a great time with two of their dolphins.
Our last day in the Aloha state gifted us with the most gorgeous weather we had seen. While the boys golfed, the girls headed to another secluded beach.
Where Lauren spent time hunting for sea life.
She didn't have to look too far, as two giant sea turtles methodically and slowly pulled themselves onto the sand to sunbathe for a couple of hours while we were there.
She also met children from a family visiting from Washington state, who quickly became boogie boarding buds.
Our last night was spent chowing down on Brian's bbq ribs and soaking up as much family time as possible.
Mahalo to our Hawaiian family for being such generous and entertaining hosts. Definitely a trip none of us will ever forget.
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