Girls Gala

Chloe and Dad went to their first Daddy Daughter Dance.  It was called the Girls Gala, it was 70's themed and it was sponsored by the PTO at the elementary school.  Chloe was so excited for it.  She talked about it for weeks in advance.  The night before she told me that she hoped that Dad would hold out his arms and she would run and jump into them and then he would hold up straight in the air and spin her around.  But she was also nervous that when this happened that he would spin her so much that she would get sick and throw up.  I told her that maybe Dad would only spin her once an she wouldn't get sick.  After they got home from the dance I asked her how it was.  She replied, "It was awesome!"  I asked if Dad had spun her in the air and she said, "No, but I got two bags of Cheetos and one bag of Pirates Booty."  (In Dad's defense, he did flip her a few times but there was no dramatic spinning in the air.)

Hawaiin Honeymoon

Ben got the opportunity to go to Hawaii for work this summer.  Since we never went on a honeymoon we figured this would be a great time to go on one and we worked it out so that I could spend a week there with him.  We dropped the kids off with Grandma and Grandpa Madsen and then we spent a week in Honolulu together.  Ben did have to work during the day but he was always off by early afternoon and he had the weekend off.  We had a great time exploring spots we hadn't seen before and also revisiting some favorites from last time.  I got to spend my days shopping, reading on the beach and eating out and I must say it was wonderful.    I hope that we get to go back someday.

I went to the Aquarium one day while Ben was at work.  It was a little weird to be the only adult there without kids but it was very enjoyable to be able to see as much or as little of the exibits as I wanted.

 

Ben and I went on a submarine that had windows so that we could see some sealife in its almost natural habitat.  I was really looking forward to it.

Here we are heading out to meet the sub. 

 

The local surfers spend a lot of time just hanging out in the water, waiting for the next big wave.

 

Here is where we loaded on the sub. 

Unfortunately, the water was very rough and I got very sick.

If you notice the guy in the background you will see he is giving me plenty of space.  This is because I had just thrown up my entire breakfast into a small bag and there was no garbage or bathroom on this tiny, cramped submarine.

Documentation that we were actually more than 100 feet below sea level.

This is on the sunset dinner cruise that was part of the submarine experience we had in the morning.  I did a lot better above water with the fresh air.

Our view of Diamond Head from the boat.

The sunset of our Sunset Dinner Cruise.

 

 

 The next day we went for a drive around the island. 

Our first stop was the temple. 

Here is one of the banyan trees on the grounds.

 

After the temple we drove around the rest of the island and ended with a great view of downtown Honolulu, Waikiki and Diamond Head.

 

 The last of my solo adventures was a trip to the zoo in Honolulu.  It was only a few blocks from our hotel.

 

 Our last adventure together was a traditional Hawaiin Luau.

We went to Germaine's Luau and had a really good time.  It was different from our luau experience the first time we were in Hawaii because there was alcohol involved this time and the party people that we rode the bus with were really enjoying themselves by the end of the night.  The food was good and the entertainment was fun.

 

 This was my last morning in paradise.

We had a great time and I hope to go back someday.

Pinewood Derby Time

It is Pinewood Derby time again.  This year Ben and Guss started the car early this year because Ben was working the midnight shift and there was a lot of over time at work and most of his tools were still packed in the PODS.  Guss wanted a Bullet Bill car, thanks to he and Owen's Wii obsession.  Ben and Guss worked hard and got nice car in the end. 

They even got special tires to blend into the flames on the back.

 

Setting up the race.

 

Following the cars.

 

In the end Guss came in Second with the scouts. 

The Achievement Day Girls also got to race and Grace's car was the fastest car of the night.

 

After the Derby came the Blue and Gold.  Guss moved up in rank and was able to lead the pack in the Scout Oath.