It was a wild and crazy two and a half weeks, but we made the most of our vacation back home to Hawaii. Some of the highlights of our trip included an adventure to the Big Island where we hiked an active volcano, trekked through lava tubes, toured macadamia nut plantations, and stayed in a rustic (yet comfy) cabin. Andrew was a champ because we hiked every day, and that meant he had to ride in the backpack. There were cliffs and active volcanoes, so he was not allowed to run around outside very often. His favorite part of the trip was a tie between: (1) the bus ride to all of the island sites; (2) the dining hall (he could pick out what he wanted for his meals); and (3) looking for wild pigs with his binoculars. Yes, we saw several feral pigs (see picture of McPiggy below) on the Big Island. The island is over-run with them and anytime you see one, you are allowed to kill it. No, Charlton, put away your gun. In Hawaii, people kill animals the old-fashioned way--hand to hand combat with a knife. We ate pork several times on our trip. Don't worry, we didn't stab any pigs...they were killed and cooked for us. Other firsts for the family included tasting taro (a high protein purple potato), and Andrew truly enjoyed the soft serve ice cream machine in the dining hall.
Once we returned home from the Big Island, we spent time with our friends relaxing by the pool, playing on the playground, and lounging at the lagoon. Our friends and family (both near and far) are so wonderful, and give us such moral support. We truly appreciate you all. We can't wait to get back to our home and have things return to normal...well, normal for us.
