What can you do!?!?

I really need to learn how to take pictures of people, with the sunset in the background...It seems that I can take pictures of one or the other, but have not yet figured out both at the same time!

In the sunset picture there is Ian, Chase, Jamie, Bryan, Fayne, and Chad... is actually on the ground next to Chase!!

Oh well, I'll get it figured out one of these days!
More later, I need to finish unpacking, then pack again to head back "home" for a visit with family and friends!!
~Love Coral

More of Maui

I won't write a big long paragraph. I have so many pictures to go through, (I took about 1000) But instead...I will just post some pictures... I love vacation!!
~Coral

Bryan & Jamie ~ To the airport today...

In a short while we will be taking Bryan and Jamie to the airport, and they will be flying back home to Seattle.

They came for ten days, and wow...did that ever go by fast. Hard to believe that we will be heading home on Saturday!! This morning Ian has already taken Chase to the pool to swim, and we are all getting ready to head down to Kahului (where the airport is) We will go for lunch, say good bye to them, and then Ian, Chase, and myself will go to the aquarium. Chad and Fayne (of she comes will come back in awhile, pick us up, and then we will probably go and do some shopping?? You never really know...Things seem to change by the minute here...
Last night we went to a place called "Sansei." Now for anyone who loves sushi...Here is your place. However, you need to make a reservation...and earlier better than later, because it fills up fast. I don't like sushi...But Bryan, Chad, & Ian went nuts!! I forgot to take pictures of the first few (4-5) rolls, but got some of the others...this first one, is the one that I ordered, wrapped in soy paper instead of seaweed.
The night before that...Well that was the day after the tsunami warning...Chad and Ian went for a scuba dive that day, so when they came home they were exhausted...AND IT RAINED ALL DAY, so we went to a place called the "Pineapple Grill" This place...over-priced, for mediocre food. Not recommended at all.
Chad had an interesting meal there too, and I will post that picture later too.
(Chad's dinner)

Anyway, for now I should get going. I am rambling again...
~Coral

Day after the tsunmai warning!

Well yesterday morning Chad & Ian had booked a dive out in Lahina. They were supposed to dive around 7:00am (I think) and Bryan and Jamie were going for the day to do their own thing. Fayne, Chase, and I had planned a lovely day of going back and forth fro the beach, to the pool...

So...at about 6:45 (local time, obviously) the phone started ringing like crazy. By the time I answered the phone, no one could hear me saying hello, and so I think they hung up...Or maybe Fayne had answered at that time as well, and I hung up...How that goes exactly...I am not sure.
Anyway, I was laying there still very groggy, and half asleep, when Fayne walks in my room and says "Coral, we need to get water ready, and warm clothes...there is a tsunmai warning and we have to get ready to go." WHAT!?!?!?!
I guess when Chad, and Ian got to where they were about a 1/2 hour away they called us to let us know what was going on. We are on the fourth floor of this timeshare, and the bottom two floors were being evacuated...but our mini van is a rental...and they are not insured under "Acts of God" so off we go....
We headed up a bit, but really the highway is considered the "high point." We met some people from Oregon, (when we got to the parking lot where we hung out for most of the day) and they had brought champagne, bloody mary mix, beer, and a sixty of vodka! Then they went to the little grocery store and bought every sandwich there was...They told us if we got hungry, to let them know (good to know if a catastrophy does happen!!)
The mood was pretty mellow where we were, adn as it came closer, more seemed a bit nervous...we were hearing things that the waves were as big as 9 meters tall, to "not as big as expected" toit might pass us all together and just head for Japan....
We weren't really sure....
A couple people acted pretty stupid. Someone went past the road blocks and headed to the water. The police turned on the sirens and chased them... The helicopters were flying over with police and the mayor in them, with megaphones telling people to get off the beaches and out of the water (some really were trying to surf!!) And there was a siren that whereever you were sounded...
When it was all over, and it ended up missing us, we came back, had a bite to eat, and Chase asked to go to the pool!

Anyhow, I had better get going...
Today it is raining...and calling for it for the next few days...
I will post some pictures when I get home, as my computer has crashed, and I am using Jamie's.
~Coral

Adjusting to the time change!

Maui is two hours behind us, so needless to say...Last night was the first night Chase went to bed @ 7:30 local time, and slept until 7:10 this morning. YAY!!

Oh did I mention this morning was the first time I have ever seen a ...........cockroach? AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Seriously...I am a bit embarrassed to say this, but might as well for the humor of it all...I had a full on panic attack! I was hyper-ventilating, and tears were streaming out of my eyes...I couldn't breathe..."Big Deal"...is that what you are thinking? It was 2-2 1/2 inches long!!!!
Anyway, I should have taken a picture..but really do I want that really gross picture forever? Ugh!!
If anymore turn up, I will take a picture, and then pack my bags!!
~Coral

Beautiful Maui

I feel so lucky to be sitting in a beautiful part of our world...I always wanted to come to Hawaii, and it feels pretty surreal to actually be here!
Even luckier...to be here with family. Chase is having an amazing time and getting lots of play time with his Uncles and Aunts.

I surprisingly haven't taken a million pictures yet, but I will post a few of the ones I have taken, just so you all can have look see!
~Coral

Maui bound...

So...not quite yet, but in a few short days we will be in the air, on our way to Maui!! I can honestly say that it didn't feel quite real until a couple of days ago...which might be why up until yesterday my suitcase wasn't really packed... It's about 90% packed now.
Today I have a million and one things to do, and instead I am sitting at the computer writing this...When will I ever learn?

I have to help out a friend, go get waxed, call my lawyer, take Chase to pre-school, finish packing, give a friend of mine the low-down on looking after the fish and my plants, and then all the rest of the odds and ends!

Well, since I put it that way, I guess I need to get going! So when I return from Maui, I will have fabulous pictures I am sure! Can't waitt o share them with you all!
~Coral

Friendship...

True Friendship

Have you ever wondered what the real essence of the saying "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed" is? People talk about the true value of friendship actually without knowing what it stands for. True friendship is the one, in which the individuals do not have to maintain formalities with each other. Sharing true friendship is the situation, when the person you are talking about is counted as one among your family members, when the relation you share with him/her reaches a stage that even if you don't correspond for sometime, your friendship remains unscathed. Best friends need not meet up often to make sure that the friendship remains constant.

The trust between best friends is such that if one friend falls in trouble, the other will not think twice to help. If the bond between two friends is strong, true friends can endure even long distances. For them, geographical separation is just a part of life. It would not affect their friendship. They make it a point to stay in touch, even in the verge of being exhausted due to the drudgery of everyday life. True friendship never fades away. In fact, it grows better with time. True friendship thrives on trust, inspiration and comfort. Best friends come to know, when the other person is in trouble, merely by listening to their "Hello" over the phone. They can even understand each other's silence.

True friends don't desert each other when one is facing trouble. They would face it together and support each other, even if it is against the interests of the other person. Best friends don't analyze each other; they don't have to do so. They accept each other with their positive and negative qualities. Nothing is hidden between true friends. They know each other's strengths as well as weaknesses. One would not overpower the other. They would respect each other's individuality. In fact, they would understand the similarities and respect the differences. Best friends don't stand any outsider commenting or criticizing their friendship and they can put up a very firm resistance, if anyone does so.

True friends are not opportunists. They don't help, because they have something to gain out of it. True friendship is marked by selflessness. Best friends support even each other, even if the whole world opposes them. It is not easy getting true friends for the lifetime. If you have even one true friend, consider yourself blessed. Remember, all best friends are friends, but not all friends can be best friends. In this world of cynics and back stabbers, there are still some people who are worth being friends with. They have to be recognized and respected for being best friends, for the lifetime.
Just have been doing some thinking lately about how important our friends are...
~Coral
P.S.
I am blessed to have more "true" friends but just don't have the room to post more pictures on this particular post.

We're getting excited!!

Ten days from today and we will be taking Chase to Maui!! I can't wait!! I myself have never been, and have always wanted to go. I think of all the amazing things Chase will get to do and see...It's quite a different world from the time in which I grew up! I had never been on a tropical vacation until I was 20 years old...
Chase is three, and already been to Mexico, and soon Maui.
I can't wait to post pictures! We're going to have a lot of fun...But I need to do a lot more packing between now and then, so I will write more later!!
~Coral

Valentine's Day ...Almost

Today as I am looking out the window, to a beautiful blue sky...something has got me thinking about the upcoming "Valentine's Day."
Not like you might think, one would think about it, (I have never been much of a "sappy" romantic person.) But in another way...

So, what has got me thinking about the most romantic day of the year??
I actually just read an article about how in North America, Valentine's Day is the second most UN-eco-friendly holiday next to Christmas!!! I myself am not claiming to be the most eco-friendly person, but we certainly can always improve, and do our best to ensure a better world for our children to grow up in.

I'll post the link, because I think it is important for all of us non-mushy and mushy people alike! Anyways, check it out and let me know what you think...It may just change your holiday gift ideas!

http://www.greenmuze.com/green-your/celebrations/213-eco-valentines-day.html