On Wednesday we had the Gypsy Tour Guide app take us around the southern edge of Maui, heading East. First stop was Lahaina, which was a bustling little village. We ate breakfast at Cheeseburger in Paradise (not the Jimmy Buffet chain) and did some shopping. We finally tried some Hawaiian shaved ice. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds. I made a kiwi, strawberry, mango treat.

We continued our drive through a few small villages, then we rolled past the high dollar real estate area. We parked by the Four Seasons and went for a swim, once again hoping to see some of the turtles that are supposedly just off the coast. The beach by the Four Seasons is referred to as a “turtle town”, and you are pretty much guaranteed to see at least one. The turtles didn’t get the memo, apparently, and it was more like a Turtle Ghost Town. Nuts!!!

A little farther down the coast and we entered Keono’o’io. Just past this area was a section of government land that was closed to hiking, swimming, stopping the vehicle. Why? Because it is the location of Maui’s last lava flow, and they are trying to preserve that natural landscape. At first glance, it looks like a giant patch of chiseled dirt. Upon a closer look, it is hardened lava. Heaps of it. So incredible!! They think the last eruption was around 1790. Can you imagine watching that hot lava flow out to the sea?!

It was around 3:00 by this point, so we decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at a place called Kimo’s in Lahaina. The view was perfection.

On the drive back to the resort, the heavens blessed us with an amazing rainbow.

We found some lounge chairs by the hotel and watched our last Maui sun set before going back to the room to catch up on my blog posts. Aloha!

Tuesday morning was supposed to be the day of our ATV tour, but the hotel concierge messed up the date (for once it wasn’t my mistake!). So after sitting at the check in location on New Years Day for 15 minutes, we decided to change plans and drive up to Haleakala Crater instead.

First we needed to run back to the hotel and get some warm clothes, snacks, and toilet paper. Haleakala is a National Park, and since our lovely politicians can’t get their act together, National Parks are shut down. Well, sort of. The roads are open, and the bathroom services were questionable as to their accessibility. So we brought toilet paper with us, just in case. Thankfully when we got to the top, the bathrooms were open! Hooray! And they had toilet paper and soap! Double hooray! To the Park Rangers that kept the toilets functional during the government shut down, we appreciate it!

Jay has been saying since we got to Hawaii that he wanted to bring home a Hawaiian license plate. I was keeping an eye out at the gift shops and hadn’t found any yet. But as luck would have it, while we were driving towards Haleakalā, the truck in front of us lost something small, shiny, and rectangular. We stopped the Jeep, and sure enough, it was a Hawaiian license plate! Boom.

So I didn’t think I needed to take a Dramamine. Bad choice. While I didn’t get sick sick, I wasn’t feeling good by the time we got to the top. Hint for other travelers who get motion sickness…take the Dramamine!

Here’s another hint. I mentioned during the Road to Hana blog that we dowloaded an app called the Gypsy Guide to Hana. I went ahead and paid a little more to download the Gypsy Guide to Maui app. We hooked my phone up to the Jeep speakers and had our own personal tour guide along nearly all of the roads on Maui. Today we listened to him tell stories and give directions and travel hints all the way up and down the crater. This app is AWESOME!! He was telling us about how the tectonic plates caused the volcanic eruptions that creates the islands. He was pretty confident that Maui wouldn’t erupt again, which was comforting since we were driving towards the top of the old volcano…

We started the drive to the Up Country and made a quick stop at a gift shop halfway up. The temperature was quickly dropping and my long pants, tank top and light jacket weren’t going to cut it. I bought a sweater. (Hint – next time, I would wear warmer clothes. Temp drops at least 20 degrees as you climb).

We got to the entrance to the park and were greeted by locals who were reminding everyone to respect the park (since the rangers were on shutdown). Good news, though! No park entrance fee! We continued to climb to an elevation of 10,000 feet! The air was THIN. And there was hardly any vegetation at the top – for sure no trees. Cold, windy, and sunny.

The views from the top were incredible. I have never seen anything like it. It is kind of like what I imagine the surface of the moon looking like. The first day of 2019 was spent exploring where Maui started…the top of the volcanic crater that created the island. Each of the peaks were called cones – each one was an eruption. So. Awesome.

We decided to try to do the hike. Since we rocked the 2 mile hike to the waterfalls on the road to Hana, we thought we could handle the 2.5 one-way hike to the bottom of the crater. What we didn’t take into consideration was the difference in the air thinness and the change in altitude. To do the full hike, you drop 3,000 feet of elevation during a 2.5 mile hike. Dropping 3k feet is easy. Climbing 3k feet is not easy. We went about halfway down, and thank goodness decided to turn around. That hike up was HARD.

Once we finally reached the top, we drove a couple minutes higher to reach the very top. There were some beautiful plants called Silverswords that are just about the only things that can somehow survive the conditions at the top of the crater.

On our way down, we stopped to see if we could find any Ne-nes, which are the state bird of Hawaii. They are a form of goose that only exists in Hawaii (and cannot fly). Unfortunately we didn’t see any… :(.

Our Gypsy Guide suggested stopping by an old cowboy town called Makawao. Unfortunately most of the shops were closed due to New Years Day. One shop that was open was called Maui Hands – full of art made by local artists. I am super excited for my aluminum prints of the Rainbow Eucalyptus to arrive in Iowa. It will look something like this (only smaller).

The Dramamine I took on the top of the crater for the ride down the mountain kicked in. After eating dinner at Longhi’s in Lahaina, I crashed.

So this day was all about plates. Tectonic, license, and if we would have been daring, Hawaiian Mixed Plates – a local cuisine. Next time! Aloha!

Monday was a day of rest. After a yummy breakfast at our favorite spot, we staked our claim on the south end of Ka’anapali beach by renting a couple beach chairs and an umbrella. We put on our snorkel gear and headed out towards the rocks where rumor had it turtles played. We saw a few fish, a bit of coral, no turtles. Doh.

Nap time!!

Hungry? How about a beach drink and chips and guacamole?

Ok, bellies are full. Let’s try to see those turtles again! This time, we headed out towards the far south end rocks. The fish here were awesome! I felt like I was swimming in an aquarium. We saw some cool coral, too. But wah wah…no turtles.

Nap time!!

After a long, rough, warm day on the beach, it was time to get showered and dressed to go to the Drums of the Pacific Luau. Not a bad way to spend the last day of 2018…

We sprung for the VIP tickets (because it’s not every day I get to see a luau). We had front and center seats, beautiful leis, and were greeted with Mai Tais. Yummy!!!

The meal was delicious (mostly…not a fan of the Hawaiian Poi). Roasted Kalua pork, salads, Poi dinner rolls (which were actually tasty), prime rib, fish, chicken, white rice, noodles, and an assortment of desserts. And more Mai Tais and Alligators (Jay’s drink of choice for the evening).

The show started, and of course they wanted audience participation, and of course I had to go on stage. When am I ever going to get a chance to learn the hula? My hips, unfortunately, don’t move quite like the professionals…

The show was great! The dancers showed us the different fashion styles of the Polynesian islands, a variety of dances, fire twirlers, and a sweet band. Loved it!!

And as has been the case since we arrived, it was early to bed for us. Jet lag sucks. We were woken up at midnight by the sounds of the fireworks – and looking back we probably should have drug ourselves out of bed to watch them, but we are old and lame. Goodbye 2018!! Hello 2019!!!

Sunday morning we got up early to do some island hopping. First stop, the airport. I loved this sign.

We caught an early flight to Oahu, where our trusty tour guide Ed picked us up and took us to Pearl Harbor. Ed wanted us all to be like him, so we all donned name tags that said “Ed”. You can imagine how many Ed jokes there were all…day…long…

First stop on the tour was at the USS Missouri – the Mighty Mo. This battleship was HUGE, based on the Iowa Class battleship design from the early 1900s. It was commissioned to the US Navy after the strike on Pearl Harbor, but was similar to many of the ships that were sunk on battleship row on December 7, 1941. While the Mighty Mo was not docked at Pearl Harbor that day, it sits bow to bow to the USS Arizona, which was the first ship struck by the Japanese bombs. The USS Arizona remains just under the surface of the water, a tomb of soldiers that made the biggest sacrifice for our country. A memorial has been constructed on top of the Arizona – the white structure in the photos below. World War II started in that spot, and ended on the deck of the USS Missouri, which was docked off the coast of Japan when leaders of several countries signed the documents ending the war. I am not a history buff, so I will save the fact finding to the Wikipedia experts. What I can talk about is what I observed, thought, and felt as the day went on.

We spent just under 2 hours exploring the Missouri, and could have spent twice that amount of time. Did I mention that this ship is HUGE? Jay was totally into this part of the tour, and he read pretty much every sign. I was drawn to thinking about the lifestyle of the soldiers that called the ship home. The beds…not exactly 5-star residences. The showers and toilets were tiny, and tucked into any place they could fit one. I imagine the Mess Hall full of (mostly) boys grabbing a bite to eat before going back to polishing chrome, washing the deck, or monitoring the ships’ engines. I am definitely not cut out to be in the Navy. Much respect to all who have worn the Navy uniform.

If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot…

The next stop was the Pacific Aviation Museum. The first building didn’t do much for me, but we went ahead and grabbed a quick lunch before heading over to check out a hangar that was full of awesome airplanes. I loved the airplane and helicopter with the jaws painted on the nose.

Up to this point, it hasn’t really sunk in where I was. I mean, I knew that I was at Pearl Harbor, I knew it was where WWII started, but I was kind of just going through the motions of being a tourist. Reading the signs, taking pictures. It was this sign, however, where I finally felt the full meaning of where I was at.

If you can’t read the sign, it directs you to look at the windows, where several pieces of glass still have bullet holes from the attacks in 1941. A.Maz.Ing. I cannot imagine the fear, adrenaline, sounds, sights, panic that all who were there that day experienced. Wow.

Here are some other photos of the aviation museum.

So now that I was in the right mindset, the next part of the tour was to watch a film containing actual footage from that day. Gosh. Not an easy thing to watch. A couple Navy sailors were our captains to take us on a boat ride out towards the USS Arizona memorial. Unfortunately due to structural issues, the memorial was not open, but we were able to ride the boat up to it. Several of the mooring docks for the other battleships that were struck on that fateful morning still retain the names of the ships. All but three of the battleships were struck were able to be repaired and continued to fight in the war. One fact that really struck me was that there is still oil seeping out of the ship. It is not enough to be harmful to the environment. They refer to it as the black tears of the soldiers that perished inside the ship. Completely humbled.

The last part of our tour was to tour the USS Bowfin. This submarine is referred to as the Pearl Harbor Avenger. She struck down 16 enemy ships during WWII – more than any other submarine. So I mentioned earlier how I was fascinated by life on the USS Missouri. I cannot even begin to imagine life on a submarine. Talk about small, cramped spaces. Hot, stinky. Can you tell from the pictures where the beds are located? Torpedoes. How does one get a good nights’ sleep with torpedoes inches from their heads? Incredible. The submarine was powered by 4 ginormous V16 Diesel engines. Can you imagine how loud that was? I liked this part of our day the best. I just wish I could have looked through the periscope! Submarine engineers are genius.

We met some fun Canadians on the tour, who were also catching the evening flight back to Maui. We had some drinks with them at the airport bar and got some great travel tips. They have been to Maui several times so they knew all the good things to check out. We got back to the hotel around 8:00 PM, definitely a super long day. But so worth it. If anyone is making the trip to Hawaii, I highly recommend fitting in a trip to Pearl Harbor.

For once, jet lag works in our favor. We woke up dark and early and hit the road by 5:30. Places to go, awesomeness to see! Today’s adventure was all about the journey. The Road to Hana is a long, narrow, windy road full of beautiful scenery. We downloaded an app (Gypsy Guide) and an awesome tour guide told us when to pull over, when to keep moving, and fun facts about Maui. The start of the Road to Hana is in a little town called Paia. Loved this surfboard fence!

The first stop we made was at Keanae Arboretum. Lots of different plants and trees from all over the world. My favorite were the painted gum trees. The bark looked like someone painted them.

Isn’t this a lovely place for a morning stroll. Someone even dropped flower petals all along the path for Jay and I.

This little tree reminded me that life can thrive even in hard places.

Biggest leaf ever…My painted gums. The pictures don’t do it justice.

At the back of the Arboretum there was a farm. The Hawaiian farmers were clever in how they diverted the water to their fields. Kalo is a staple food on the island. We haven’t tried it yet but should give it a go before we leave.

We drove down to this pretty little bay. Stopped and bought some hot, fresh banana bread alongside the road. Delicious!This waterfall is called The Three Bears. Daddy, Mama, and Baby. Wow!! The beach at Wai’ Anapanapa State Park was completely black. Black sand, black rocks. Apparently sometimes when hot lava hits the cold ocean, it explodes into a million tiny pieces, leaving behind black sand. I loved watching the water retreating back to sea, rolling over the black rocks. There was a neat little cave that was just big enough to squeeze through and watch the waves rolling into the opening.

Next stop…Hana! There really wasn’t much to see or do there. We went to Hana Tropicals and got a flower. And there were neat lava rock fences along the property lines.

Coconut tree on a small island.

We drove a little past Hana to Kipahulu, which for me was the highlight of the day. Best purchase before coming to Maui was new hiking shoes, which I definitely needed for this jaunt. We did the big loop – about 2 miles from the road. I felt like I was on an episode of Dora… Makahiku waterfall! Bamboo Forest!! Waimoku Falls!!!

Seriously. The Bamboo Forest…. I was not expecting that much awesomeness. It went on and on and on. I guess I didn’t know what to expect having never been in a bamboo forest before, but it was SO AMAZING! Quiet. Green. Beautiful. We made it!! These falls were HUGE!I was thirsty…

Here’s the thing about the Road to Hana. While technically the road goes all around the east side of the island, most rental car contracts don’t allow cars to go beyond Hana. Yes, the roads are that bad. So, we turned the Jeep around and headed back the way we came. We stopped at a roadside stand and bought toasted coconut, fresh pineapple, and Maui chocolate. Yummy.

By this point my Dramamine was really wanting to take over my body, so I dozed off while Jay drove like a racecar driver down the curvy roads. Probably a good thing I slept through that adventure.

This sign pretty much sums up the whole day…

So we left our hotel at 5:30 AM and got home around 6:30 PM. 72 miles. Over 600 curves. Around 60 one lane bridges. Waterfalls. Hikes to bamboo forests. Lush greenery. Black sandy beaches. Crashing ocean waves. Pretty good 13 hour day!!

Aloha!!

The jet lag makes us wake up around 4:00 AM. We decided not to fight it on Day 2 and went to the gym again. After a good sweat, we came back to the hotel just after sunrise. We walked by the lu’au stage and noticed these sweet tiki dudes.

The Cyclones were playing in the Alamo Bowl at 4:00 PM Hawaii time, so we decided to change our plans and not drive to Hana. Instead, we ventured out around the western part of Maui. We had zero plans, just decided to go where the road took us. First stop – Kapalua Coastal Trail. It was a little rainy, a lot cloudy, but it was worth getting a little wet. When the lava off of the ancient volcano hit the sea, it cooled and made amazing rock formations.

We continued our drive past the golf course where the Sentry tournament will be held next week. The rest of the drive was full of beautiful ocean views, really narrow winding roads, chickens, cats, and the occasional mongoose. And it was hot and humid…hence the glistening faces.

We got back to Lahaina around 2:00, so we found a couple barstools at MonkeyPod and had some appetizers and drinks. I noticed the guy sitting at the bar next to me had a giant ring on his right hand. I kept trying to subtly see what it said. First thought was Notre Dame, then Super Bowl…turns out it was an NFL Alumni ring. My bar mate was Kurt Petersen, played for the Dallas Cowboys in the late 1990’s. He was a good sport about letting me try on his ring and get a photo. He was a BIG dude.

On our way back to the hotel Jay spotted a baby humpback whale breaching off the coast. This picture is basically impossible to see, but the little black spot in the ocean is a jumping baby whale!

And then it was game time!! We parked our Cyclone booties at the Ka’anapali Grill in front of a TV. For a while we were the only ISU fans in the place, so we took some heckling from Washington State fans. Then a few other Cyclone fans rolled in. At one point during the game, everyone’s phones erupted at the same time. Flash flood watch. I was nervous for a second until the bartender told us to follow him if there was a real emergency. 🙂 Unfortunately the game didn’t end up like we hoped, but it was a great season Cyclones!!

Jay and I have not been on a vacation without kids since before we had kids over 8 years ago. (The weekend road trip to Milwaukee doesn’t count). We were long overdue. I have wanted to go to Hawaii forever, but Jay has always been anti-Hawaii (the accountant in him has a hard time stomaching the thought of a non-all-inclusive resort). Somehow the stars aligned (and the heaps of United miles to get free flights) and Jay agreed that we should go to Hawaii!! We booked our flights to Maui on October 26.

Oh crap. This mama’s body is so not ready to wear a swimsuit for 9 days… there is not room for my muffin top in the airplane seat.

November 6: hello The Foundation CrossFit gym!! You will be my new best friend. I will be seeing a LOT of you between now and December 26. (Thank you Ann for convincing me to give it a try!). After Erika tried to kill my friend Brooke and I multiple times, I graduated CrossFit Kindergarten, and have been at the gym at least 3 times a week (usually 4-5) ever since. I will spare you the eye pain of seeing my before and after picture from just a couple months, but I can assure you it is working!! Unfortunately I couldn’t miraculously achieve a 6 pack in that short timeframe, but I at least have taken a much smaller muffin top with me to Hawaii. Still not thrilled about walking around in a swimsuit, but I feel a whole lot better about it now than I did when we booked our trip.

Ok, enough about CrossFit. Let’s talk about VACATION!!!

After another memorable Christmas celebration at my parents’ farm, Jay and I left the kiddos and drove to Chicago on Christmas Day. Thankfully the weather in December is surprisingly warm so we didn’t have to drive through a blizzard to get to O’Hare. We had an early morning flight on Dec 26 so we tried Sleep Park Fly. It’s a pretty slick deal where you spend a night at a hotel near the airport, leave your vehicle in their parking garage for your entire vacation, and they shuttle you to the airport. Much cheaper than airport parking.

No drama getting through security (helps to travel with a United 1K member), breakfast in the United Club lounge, smooth first flight to San Francisco. The people watching in SF airport is amazing… flight to Maui was delayed 1 hour. Boarded. Waited for 2 hours for maintenance to fix a computer problem (kind of an important part to get us 6 hours across the ocean) before we had a relatively smooth flight to paradise. It was a little cloudy when we approached the islands, but still amazing.

By the time we got our luggage and sweet rental Jeep, and made a quick stop at Costco for water, snacks and sunscreen, the sun had set, leaving us in complete darkness on our drive to the Ka’anapali beach area on the west side of the island. I am sure the drive would have been beautiful if we had sunlight. We made our way to the Hyatt Regency resort, got checked in. It was around 8:00 PM in Maui, which was midnight in Iowa, so my exhausted brain was ready for sleep. A bellhop took us to our room – upgraded to corner room with ocean view (thank you Jay) – opened one of the sliding doors, and I thought, oh, they must have a water feature making the sound of water crashing. And then I realized, oh, gosh, that’s the OCEAN. Jet lag brain…

We walked down to grab a quick bite to eat, passing by the 7 penguins that live at the resort!!!

After a nice meal, we called it a night and fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves.

We woke up around 4:00 AM (8 in Iowa) and I decided to go work out at a local CrossFit gym’s 6 AM class – Lahaina CrossFit. It was fun to be able to work out outside, and it helped that when the sun rose and I finally caught my first glimpse of Maui’s green hills.

Jay worked out at the hotel gym then came to pick me up. Hello ocean!!!! We didn’t have plans for the first day in Maui, so we wandered up the sidewalk along the beach to Whaler’s Village. No shops were open that early, but I made a mental note to come back later. We ate breakfast at Ka’anapali Grill and Tap Room (yummy) and soaked in the view.

We went back to the hotel. Finally was able to see that ocean view…wowza.

Check out the birds in the hotel atrium…

We wandered around the hotel grounds to get the lay of the land, then walked back to Whalers to do some shopping. I found a couple cute swimsuits, jay found some new sunglasses, and we had a drink and delicious truffle French fries at MonkeyPod. Back to the hotel Grotto bar for a drink and a sandwich. In full vacation mode at this point…

I left jay at the bar and went to the spa for a facial and massage. Life doesn’t suck…

We found a couple lounge chairs and watched the sun set.

Then the jet lag kicked in and we were both ready to crash. You know, it was a pretty exhausting first day in paradise….

Aloha!!!!

I have a confession.  I have never sent out a Christmas card or letter.  I love receiving them.  I love the excitement of going to the mailbox and receiving a piece of mail that is not bills or junk.  I love reading about everyone’s year, seeing photos of friends and family that we haven’t seen in a while, and for a couple minutes getting wrapped up in a holiday tradition.

So, I fully admit that this is only half of the fun since it is arriving in your electronic mailbox instead of the one in your yard.  Maybe close your eyes for a second and imagine that you are walking outside, opening the mailbox, and oh look!  A pretty enevelope!  Must be a Christmas letter!  Who is this one from?  Flip it over.  The Shearer’s!  I wonder what crazy adventures they have been on this year.  Run inside, rip it open.  Now open your eyes.

What a year this has been!  We have been blessed to be able to spend our first year back in the USA surrounded by many family and friends and for that, we are truly thankful.  Here is a summary of the year.

January.

We moved into a rental home in Grimes.  With a Purchase Agreement in hand for our new home, Ty started kindergarten at his new temporary school in Johnston – Timber Ridge – with Mrs. Newberg.  Ty and Lily got back into gymnastics.  I started my new job as an Interest Rate Risk Management Analyst for the John Deere Treasury department.  I am fortunate that management was willing to allow me to do that role from the John Deere Financial office.  Jay was learning the ropes in his job as Controller for the Cotton product lines. 

February.

We sold our home in Davenport and moved everything out.  Kirk and Sherry were a huge help with this undertaking.  Our air shipment arrived from Australia.  And we got the keys to our new home on Oaktree Drive!  So many people helped us with the move (and probably still have sore backs from it).

Spring.

We spent a lot of time outside in our 2 acre retreat, cleaning out the creek and ponds, picking up trash that blew into our yard over the winter, cutting back plants, turning on the amazing waterfall, stocking the ponds with goldfish and water plants, pulling weeds.  It sounds like a lot, and it was hard work, but it was the kind that gets your hands dirty and makes you feel good.

Ty played soccer for the Johnston Soccer Club.

Jay and his friend JR drove out to Maryland to pick up Brumby.  Has to be the most extravagant souvenir ever.  

In May, Ty passed kindergarten and celebrated his 6th birthday.  We found out he needs glasses – doesn’t he look handsome!  He got to play baseball and loved it.  He’s a natural.  🙂

June.

Jay went on a guys golfing trip in Brainerd, Minnesota.  Em, mom and I took the kids out west to see Uncle Rickey and Kelly, then on to Montana to celebrate Auntie Shell and Jerry’s wedding.  Kitchen concerts, fish factories, mountains, prairie dogs…  good vacation.

Car shows, boat rides, farm visits, carnivals! 

July.

Lily turned 3.  She is a bundle of sass, humor, and is a self-proclaimed Clever Clause.  We were able to celebrate lots of July birthdays – Memaw, Nana, Miranda and Lily!! 

The kids got to spend most of a week helping cousin Bri at the Polk County Fair.  Ty got to show a lamb and a bottle calf.  Both kids loved the time spent in the barn, making friends, learning about livestock care, and having good clean (well actually filthy dirty) fun.  And bonus!!  At the fair, Auntie Em reconnected with an old friend, Ben.  He’s a keeper.  😉  

My sisters and I started a new thing – probably will be the next BIG thing.  One of Em’s friends, Selene, does amazing work on eyebrows.  We have been hosting parties every 3-4 weeks, where 8-10 beautiful ladies come hang out, drink wine, and get their eyebrows waxed.  We call them Get Plucked! parties.  Has been so much fun.  

August.

I spent a weekend in Des Moines hanging out with some of my old college friends.  I hadn’t seen several of them since graduation 15 years ago, yet it felt like we hadn’t missed a beat.  Love those ladies!

I celebrated another birthday – am starting to lose count.  Jay took me on a surprise get-away to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I don’t remember the last time Jay and I had 3 solid days completely alone.  Perfect.

Oh the Iowa State Fair!!!  Our family’s favorite time of year.  10 days of nonstop entertainment.  Jess had a camper so Gate 8 was a revolving door for all of us.  

Ty started 1st grade at a new school – Horizon Elementary.  His amazing teacher is Mrs. Heikes, and he loves school.  This year he is riding the school bus for the first time.  Handling it like an old pro!

Lily is in 3 year old preschool in Miss Hannah’s class.  She pretty much loves it.  The activities, friends, and learning have all been really fun for her.

September.

Ty played fall soccer and decided to give flag football a go.  His soccer skills greatly improved, and he loves to kick a football. 

We had our annual GFACE (Geisler Family Annual Camping Extravaganza) at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois.  We haven’t been able to go for a few years so it was fantastic to spend time with the Geisler gang.  

October.

Memaw and Papa went with us to Center Grove Orchard.  A fun day for all!

Peppa Pig Live was in Ames, so Aunt Jekka, Auntie Em and I treated Lily to a girls night out.  

Jay and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.  We took the kids on a trip down memory lane and drove by the Caldlelit Way Wedding chapel where we got married, then had dinner at the Hotel Pattee.  A lot has changed in 10 years, and a lot has stayed the same.  Looking forward to the next 70 or so.  

2016 marks 13 years after Jay hosted the very first Halloweeny party.  I realize our costumes were quite inappropriate and probably a little too soon.  We were going for the shock factor and I suppose it worked.  Eeek…

November.

Lily has what the call Nursemaids Elbow – her little elbow pops out of socket really easily.  Usually it can be popped right back in by a doctor, but this time it was too painful for her.  We ended up putting her arm in a cast for 10 days to give it time to heal.  Didn’t slow her down a bit!

Ty is playing basketball for Grimes Park and Rec, and call it a wild hair, but I am coaching his team.  I’m no Coach Neibauer, but I’m trying my best.  The kids all seem to enjoy it.  

For the first time ever, we lived close enough to be able to host the Lingren Family Thanksgiving.  I set the table with my mom, grandma, and great grandma’s china, and it was a beautiful evening.  So thankful to be together with family.  I have missed the deliciousness of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner – yummy!!!

We were blessed to have one of our friends from Australia stay with us for 2 weeks.  Joy is originally from Singapore and she loves to cook.  We all gained 15 pounds eating her delicious food!  She met Santa, experienced Thanksgiving, sat front row at an Iowa State basketball game, helped us celebrate Jay’s birthday, went on the Polar Express train ride with Kirk and Sherry, and all who met her loved her.  We were all sad to see her go.  Come back soon!!!

December.

WE GOT TO GO TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!  Kirk and Sherry joined us on an amazing vacation.  The kids were the perfect age to experience the magic of Disney.  I. Love. Disney. World.  Star Wars, princesses, Christmas lights, castles, perfect weather.  I hadn’t posted a blog for a long time but documented every day of our vacation, so feel free to take a look if you want to hear more about it.  Such a fantastic vacation!!

To end an amazing year, we found out that Jay’s job in Des Moines was being eliminated, and despite efforts by many people, there are not any other options in the area that will allow him to continue working for a company that we both love.  And so, before I have even hung all of the pictures on the walls in what I thought was our forever home, we are going to have to pack up and move to the Quad Cities.  He was offered a good job there that he is looking forward to.  Neither of us wants to leave Des Moines, but this is the way the cookie is crumbling this time around.  I will keep my current job.  We are waiting until after the holidays to tell the children – we don’t want anything to damper the magic of the season.  

2016 can go down in history as one of my all time favorite years.  We were fortunate to have been able to experience the fun, joy, randomness, and support of being surrounded by family and friends.  After having been isolated from that while a world away in Australia, this year has meant more to us than most people probably realize.  And for that, I am truly thankful.  2017 has big shoes to fill…

Merry Christmas to all!  And to all…a good night!!