Aloha and Mahalo!!

This means hello/goodbye/love and thank you in Hawaiian, much of all of those to Mandy and Scott for letting me come and hang with them! I'm extrememly pleased to say that we didn't do a whole lot while I was there; this is my third time visiting them, and we've always done the touristy things and seen the sights, but I go there to hang with my sister and her husband, so to have a week of just doing that was the best thing I could think of to do.

home), so it was great to see where they are now; just like Amy and I were saying, it's so good to see people's space, where they spend their time, how they set up their home. And the Cudas know how to pick a great place. They have a Mandy and Scott moved into a new place in Kailu on Oahu (see next blog for full tour of theirpool, they are a very short walk to the beach, and they are within walking/biking distace to cute shops and coffee places.

Mandy took mostly half days while we were there, oh yeah, did I tell you my parents were also there? Part of the reason why this was an especially good time to go. My dad finds work anywhere his daughters are so the company benefits from his spending time with his family, plus I'm pretty sure they cover his ticket, so everybody's happy. But yeah, Mandy was already planning half days for when my mom was there anyway, so it was good, short timing for me to plan this trip. (This is picture of Mom one morning when we went to watch the sunrise over the beach, yow, so beautiful!)

Got in a couple days earlier than the 'rents, the doctors went their various ways, I read a couple of books, splashed in their pool, swung in their hammock, sat on the beach, tried to play nice with Kili and Hobbes, their two Siamese cats; yeah, guess that runs in the family, and overall just relaxed. Mandy is an amazing hostess, always providing much, much more than just the creature comforts.

She planned a little dinner get-together with a few of their friends for St. Patrick's Day. We dressed in green, drank a few hard ciders and some Guiness, and had our traditional corned beef and cabbage with carrots and potato bread (closest thing Dad could find on the island to Irish soda bread!). It was a blast, and great people attract great people; Jen and Addie joined us that night, and they are so much fun. We laughed, we talked, we drank, we ate; I think our distance Irish relatives would be proud of such a celebration!

Sunday, Mike and I's friend Steve (see picture above and to the left) flew thru Oahu on his way back to MN from a business meeting on Lanai'i. He came and spent the night with us, we grabbed some waves, he with a bit more grace than me as he grew up in California. We had lunch in a great little Mexican restaurant in town, and we unfortunately had to send him on his way home to Shannon Monday evening. Was a little crazy to meet up with him there, but he's a great guy, my family knows and likes him so well, so he's and easy addition to any party!

As Dad and Scott worked hard, and Mandy worked hard for shorter periods of time, Mom and I soaked up as much Hawaiian sun as we could and waited for the others to join us. Whenever Mom's there, plan on at least one shopping trip, and we weren't disappointed. We hit some really fun shops in Kailua, Macy's of course so she could use her card on us, and then the guys would join us in the evenings for dinner, watch the college basketball playoffs, and the occassional game of pinochle.

I can't tell you about a whole lot, because not much happened, but I think I'd be disappointed if it was any other way. Mandy and Scott, I am so proud of who you are, and who you continue to become. I love that you are my family, and I take too much pride saying that; thanks for letting me come and be a Cuda for a few days; there's nothing better than to hang around with you guys and get introduced as your sister!