New Years in Hawaii

Joined the Hanks family on Maui just after Christmas to bring in the new year of from a tropical warm paradise. Our adventures took us all over the island from Haleakala to whale watching, a drive through Hana and hanging out with family...don't worry we visited the beach often to wake board and even snorkel.





sunset the night i arrived

Lori and I-my first stop after arriving..the beach

Ariel...you put on a few pounds!

That's going to be fun to clean up

And she clears it with her 2" vertical...AMAZING!

Shaka!

last 4 pics are of Hana-we survived the winedy road w/o spewing

Whale watching

That's not a whale...that's a dolphin!



Can you believe what we just saw?

A Hawaiian tradition...an offering given to the river





husking my first coconut-harvested from Hana

did you know coconuts are the only fruit that does not have a machine to husk it? once (in Kanab) i went on a date with a man who called himself the "Coconut King" he was working on industrializing the husking of coconuts...that was way more work than i bargained for...where was the 'king' when i needed him most?







tried to climb a coconut tree







I must share with my experience on Haleakala and it's significance for me and my family:



As a young girl, in Sandy Utah living just off of 106th, Grandma and Grandpa Patterson came to visit after they returned home from their mission in Hawaii. I learned that grandpa served his first mission in Hawaii as a young man. How the island people must have been so dear to his heart all these years and then to be called there again and able to take is wife and share his love and experiences for/with the people there as well as create their own together. During their visit to our home Grandpa gathered all us kids around him and said, "Anyone who wants ice cream say Haleakala!" A tradition we all looked forward to with enthusiasm and excitement in the years to come. In unison we yelled at the top of our lungs, "Haleakala!" we were driven to Reams grocery store a few miles east of our house on state street. My favorite ice cream at the time was bubble gum and rainbow sherbet. Without exception no matter our age each time we saw Grandpa he would get that look in his eye, gather us around and we would know..."Haleakala!"



For years i believed this was a word Grandpa made up. I thought i was so cool. When i met Lori Hanks and we became close friends she was showing me pictures of her home in Maui Hawaii. one of the pictures was her and a few cousins by wood sign: Haleakala. i asked her about it. She smiled and told me it is a an inactive volcano on Maui. It means "House of the Sun". I shared my stories of Grandpa, Haleakala and ice cream with her. I told her one day I would to go to the mountain, take a carton of ice cream with me to the top and eat it with my Grandpa (who has passed on).



My desire had become reality, i had made it to Hawaii. Early on the second day after my arrival on the island Lori and i ran to the story and bought a half gallon of Roselani Mint ice cream and spoons. Caravaning with three other cars we made our way up the paved switch back road to the top of Haleakala National Park. We walked a short distance up a pathway to the peak of the volcano. I gathered everyone together including a few tourists who were near by and said "Who wants ice cream say Haleakala!" A chorused "Haleakala" was shouted. Spoonfuls of ice cream were shared with everyone. I know my Grandpa was sharing the smiles, laughs and joy we all felt as we ate ice cream together. One last time grandpa and i were able to join in sweet union of love and care and in memory of our relationship over a carton of ice cream.











Thanks for meeting me there Grandpa, it was great!