ALOHA....

Greetings from the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii! We have been here since October 18th and are enjoying every minute of it!! Our first two days here, we got settled in our condo and got the fridge stocked with groceries...and then on Tuesday (a week ago) we had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Danielle Vesey and Garrett Wester on a beautiful beach. Danielle and her family moved into their home the same day we moved into ours, over 14 years ago and she and Jess have been great friends ever since...it's amazing to think that both of these girls are now married...and both stood up for each other at the other's wedding. The day was hot and a bit humid, but beautiful as was the bride...it was a wonderful day and we enjoyed being part of such a special day as well as being able to give the bride and groom something to remember their day by!

Jess and Sean were here our first week as well and we enjoyed spending a bit of time with them, although they had their only place, own car and did their own thing most of the time. It was a nice break for them, especially Jess who had been working long days since starting as a 1st grade teacher last month! She felt bad about missing a week of school, but this was planned well before she got the job...and they were okay with her leaving...though I think Jess missed her "kids" while gone!

We haven't done a lot over there, but have taken a few outings since last Wednesday. One day we drove from Kapalua around the north part of the island to Wailuku which was about 25 miles, but for at least 8 miles, it was a narrow, one lane and winding road...so that was slow going. It was beautiful, the views of the coastline were incredible...the beauty just never ended. We stopped at the Nakalele Blowhole which is an opening in the lava shelf where water "erupts" through the hole and at times is fairly strong and shoots very high. It was fun to watch. That day we didn't go all the way down as Terri had sandals on and we figured we would return and go all the way down, which we did on Sunday...it was amazing to see the power of the water being forced through the hole! We've done lots of beach walking and enjoyed every minute that. Yesterday we visited a lavender farm and were a bit disappointed...not much of the lavender was in bloom, but we still enjoyed walking around the grounds and the view of below was great. They also had some wonderful lavender scones and tea which we enjoyed.We also visited the islands only winery, which we thought was Tedeschi, but all the signs there said "Maui Winery." It was NOTHING like the Washington, Oregon or California (or even Tennessee!) wineries we've visited, but was fun to see and we were able to sample some of their famous pineapple wines, which were pretty good!!!

Today, Tuesday, we are laying low...Rick woke up with his toe throbbing and foot swollen, no idea what happened to it! He's been icing and elevating it...and we're hoping that it goes away as quickly as it came on...so we can get back to vacation and our beach walks! Thankfully, we don't have any outings or excurions planned...or we'd be canceling them as the only place we'll probably go will be the ER to have it looked at!

Sunday we fly home and we'll be sad to leave the beauty of Maui...but it'll be time to get back to reality and of course we miss Aussie...and will be happy to see her (thanks, Tara, for watching her for us!)...and of course, miss Jayden...can't wait to give her a big hug and kiss!!!! It'll be back to work for Rick on Monday and Terri will start in with wedding photos...from the past two weddings as well as a session she had between the weddings. It'll be a busy month for both of us...so we're enjoying our break while we can!!

Here are some photos from our time here...we hope you enjoy them! We may or may not update this again before leaving with more photos...depending on how busy...or not busy we are...hope you are all doing well...and enjoy the fall weather...although we've heard that at home, it's not quite as nice as it is here in Maui!!!!

























Update...we ended up at the urgent care center here in Kihei and the doctor thinks that Rick has gout...so he's got a prescription and we are hoping that by morning, it will have kicked in and the swelling and pain will be gone...or at least better. The bad news is that he is suppose to just stick to vegetables and water for his diet for the next couple of days...that's no fun! :~( We are optomistic that we will so be back on track with our vacation and get the last bit of enjoyment out of it before heading home!!

Sorry for the heavy load of photos...just so many from this beautiful location...

Busy month

It's hard to believe that it's the middle of the October...and the rest of the month will go by quickly for us as well! Terri was in New York (outside of Buffalo) last weekend for a wedding she shot and then had the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls while there. The wedding was the niece of our good friends, Allen and Brenda Swift, and she'd been asked to be the photographer for the bride and groom, Jessica and Shawn...which is so funny since we too have a "Jess and Sean!" The bride's parents are Rick and Patty Palmer (funny again because Rick's sister's name is Patty!)...are the nicest people...we've had the pleasure of meeting them at the Swifts place in Tennessee a few times and have really enjoyed hanging out with them. The wedding was very nice...the weather just about perfect and the visit to Niagara Falls - amazing! She had the opportunity to see both the US and Canadian side and as you can imagine, took a few (haha...okay, more than a few!) photos! She flew home on Tuesday evening - just in time to get ready for another trip!!

Yes, another trip is in store for us...we are flying to Maui on Sunday for another wedding and some vacation! We figured that if we were going to make the trip to work (okay, so photographing a beach wedding doesn't really sound like work, does it?!), we'd spend some extra time time...so will be there for a total of two weeks...we can't wait!!! The bride for this wedding is Danielle Vesey, who is Jess' best friend, was maid of honor at her wedding and our neighbor's daughter...so how could we not be there! Besides, Jess is the matron of honor and Sean will be a groomsman! So, yes, Jess and Sean will be there as well, they leave today, a day ahead of us! Other than the wedding, we have no plans or schedule for our time there...we do hope to do some exploring and of course the usual beach walking, enjoying a drink on the lanai in the evenings and soaking up some natural vitamin D!!

So, now it's time to get packed and ready to head out...we sure won't miss the rain while we are gone, but will miss Aussie...and are thankful Terri's cousin, Tara, is watching her while we are gone! No guarantees of a post while we are on vacation, but maybe some photos...just so those of you who aren't seeing much sunshine will remember what it's like!! hehehehe....

ALOHA.........................

NOTE: We obviously didn't get this posted before leaving...it's now Monday morning and we are in Maui, having had a wonderful walk on the beach this morning. The wedding is tomorrow...we'll update as time goes on throughout our time here!

Here are some photos from the wedding...beautiful day, beautiful couple!



Some photos (lots) from my visit to Niagara Falls...

Jayden turns FOUR!

It just doesn't seem possible that four years ago we were brand new grandparents and instantly falling in love with our beautiful new granddaughter - and now, she's four years old and we love her more each day! Of course, we are so blessed to have her close enough to see often and the "mimi" days that Terri has with her are priceless...she is truly a joy and delight in our lives!


Her birthday was held at the YMCA in Gig Harbor where the kids had use of their play area (tunnels, basketball court, slide and more!) and then enjoyed pizza and cupcakes...it was a great party and we thoroughly enjoyed watching Jayden and her friends celebrate and expend a LOT of energy! Wow, if only we could harness some of that for those days when we're running low!



Jayden with her friend, Evan, who came from Pullman for her party!


She got a brand new bike for her birthday...and enjoyed riding around the room to test it out...watch out, she's zooming around pretty well on it!!

Rick's parents were also here for the party and also enjoyed sharing the special day with Jayden. We also took them to the fair the day before...so checked out our photos that were on display and enjoyed a beautiful fall day. That evening we had the kids for dinner, and Jayden came a bit early while Josh and Mandy did some "birthday" shopping. We had fun in the back yard with her...she never fails to entertain and amuse us!



Jayden LOVES to swing...and enjoyed some "swing time" the morning of her birthday while we visited the farmer's market!

She's getting SO big...can we slow down her growing up!?!

Jayden sure loves her dog, Madie.

A great looking family...

This week Terri is flying out to Buffalo, NY for a wedding she is photographing and then will spend a couple extra days there and visit Niagara Falls...which she has never seen before...she's really looking forward to that! Of course, it will be a tad cooler there...so she's packing some warm clothes for the trip! She returns the following Tuesday and will be busy unpacking, washing, organizing and getting ready for another trip! We leave that Sunday for Maui...for two weeks! Whoo hoooooo!! Our first few days will be consumed with wedding activities as we are photographing a wedding there as well...for our neighbor's daughter, Danielle! Jess is the matron of honor and Sean is a groomsman, so they will be there for the first week we are there. After the wedding...we are going to do lots of exploring and try to find some new parts of the island we've not yet explored, but of course, we'll still partake in many or our usual rituals, such as walking on the beach each morning, watching the surfers, enjoying a drink on the lanai in the afternoons, the mahi mahi tacos at Fred's Mexican restaurant in Kiehi and more! You can expect to see photos from the travels in the next month...

Hope this finds you all doing well...and enjoying the fall!!