One excellent day in paradise

Geoff has been working extra hard to get his school work done a little early so we could "play tourist" the last week we are here in Hawaii.  He finished almost everything last Wednesday night so Thursday we had a free day (minus all the crazing selling everything you own, clean the entire house, say all the goodbyes etc!) so we went up to Laie to the temple there and it was just lovely.

Such a beautiful, peaceful place!  I love the interior design inside and the grounds are breathtaking.  From the  front doors of the temple you can look all the way down the palm lined street to the ocean.  

Kind of a funny quick selfie we took but I liked it anyway.

After the session at the temple we at ate Seven Brothers (same menu and run by the same people as Kahuku Grill) which is one of the best places on the whole island and the family who owns it its awesome!  We always have to eat there when we go up to the temple.

And if the day weren't great enough, that evening I had a girls night out with all my lovely Hawaii ladies!  We went to Cosmic Beauty and were pampered with pedicures!  I love pedicures and haven't had one in forever so I was happen to have this excellent excuse.  At Cosmic Beauty the have a big back room where they set up a table for us to put all of the yummy chocolate treats everyone brought to share and we all got to hang out and chat while we got pampered with out kids!  It was awesome!  It was a last minute thing so not all of my friends could come but I was so happy for the ones that were able to make it.  Love all my ladies here so much!

So much fun!  I hope this will become a tradition that happens often for all of these hard working mommas!  Love you ladies!

Hawaiian Thanksgiving

 We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, here in Hawaii, thanks to some of our awesome Ohana here.  Last month I was thinking about how sad Thanksgiving would be for us with out our families since I LOVE Thanksgiving, love feeding people and love hosting Thanksgiving for our families in our home so I knew I had to plan something so my dear friend, who also happens to be named Rachel, and I planned a big gathering that she hosted at her lovely, spacious home.  We had 23 people there and it was just awesome!  We had it out on the lanai, over looking the golf course, palm trees and setting sun.  The weather was perfect with a light breeze.

Making pies the day before Thanksgiving.  I love making pie!

            
           

And very happy to eat pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!  We all love pumpkin pie in our family!

On our way to our friends home with the potatoes, stuffing, ginger cookies, 3 pies and a cheesecake!  Good thing we had the wagon!

The table all decorated!  I tried to find Thanksgiving decor/Fall leaves etc in stores but Thanksgiving isn't really big here so I couldn't find any so I sent Geoff and the girls out to find Hawaiian plants, seeds, leaves etc that looked "fallish" and that's what we used!  I think it turned out pretty cool.

Hawaii has cool plants!

The kids doing a little craft while they waited for the feast.

My friends and I made the place cards a few weeks earlier at a Stampin' Up party.  I think they turned out really cute.

And the food was amazing!...

Coconut glazed sweet potatoes, green bean casserole from scratch, sour cream mashed potatoes, tons of veggies!...I was in heaven.

Munro and Rachel cooked an amazing turkey!

The glorious dessert table!

Pumpkin pie, Dutch apple pie, cream pies, cheesecake, shortbread, truffles, ginger cookies....sigh, it was lovely

and the baked jalepeno and Brie pastry was so amazing and I loved the goat cheese too!

Time to eat!

It was delicious! 

The Murdock's set up a cute Turkey shoot with paper turkeys and Nerf guns.  The kids mostly shot at each other of course and they loved it!

Fun to have the missionaries, some friends from UH and the 4 families that live here in Ko Olina all there!

Kids enjoying the craziness after dinner.

                         

Then we decided to feed the black swans their own Thanksgiving feast of bread.

                                 

And then it was time for the floor show entertainment ;)

                                                               

 

Such a fun Thanksgiving!  We missed out families but sure enjoyed spending time with our good friends here!