Not to get all selfish or anything, but the kids didn't have much going on except school and more school in February and March, whereas Aaron and I had rather a lot of fun. After too many hours studying for and taking the LSAT and FSOT and finishing up graduate and law school applications, I actually think we kind of deserved it.
So in February, we made good on the tickets I had gotten Aaron for his 40th birthday in December and hit the air for Hawaii. Aaron had never been (he had wanted to take me on our honeymoon there, but since I had already been, we decided on a new adventure to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island instead), and I hadn't been back since high school. We left our older kids with a friend who stayed with them overnight during our absence, but brought Cora along for the adventure--and ended up very glad we did! She paid her way by entertaining us at every opportunity. Though our stay wasn't long--four days was about all we felt comfortable leaving the kids home for, and it kept our hotel/rental car costs more reasonable--we managed to fit quite a lot of fun into our time on the island. We stayed on Oahu, and managed to fit in visits to all the best surfing beaches (even though neither of us surf . . . yet), an outing on a glass-bottom boat, a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, whips at the Dole Pineapple Plantation, hiking Diamondhead volcano, time on Waikiki, and all the chocolate-covered macadamias and mouthwatering pineapples and papayas we could eat. It was a perfect getaway from the responsibilities of home.
We were back home for a few weeks, enjoying all the awesome things San Diego has to offer in the off-season, cheering at Addy's basketball games, and scoring a visit from my fabulous sister Tenille and her family. Then off we jetted again--this time my mom came to stay with (and spoil) all five kids. Aaron brought me along as accompanist for his Pacific Ridge choirs as they traveled to New Orleans for a festival and tour, and let me tell you, that is an awesome way to travel! When we travel on our own, we tend to plan only one or two extra adventures. But when you're taking a group of high school students on a trip, it's a different story. Their experience had to be packed end to end with awesome activities, including a swamp tour, a New Orleans cooking class, a cemetery tour, visiting a jazz club for dinner, and of course singing (and winning) for their supper--at a masquerade ball!
Once we were back home again, we topped it all off with a family whale-watching cruise where we saw a blue whale! Between that and some trips up to LA be part of studio audiences for
America's Got Talent and the final season of
American Idol, I'd say we had a great couple of months. Sometimes I think we're entirely too spoiled, but life goes by so darn fast--we might as well enjoy the ride!
