I know what you're thinking...

ANOTHER VACATION?! What can I say other than we are lucky?

Yes, we did go to Maui with Ja's parents and my parents. It was my parents first time to Maui so we had a lot of fun experiencing Maui with the first timers. On our first day my mom said she wanted to do everything she could this trip because they wouldn't be coming back. Then on the way to the airport to go home my parents were discussing how they can start saving to come again when my brother gets back from his mission. I thought it was so cute. 

Here are the highlights from our trip. The weather was beautiful and couldn't have been better. 

We got leis from the hotel.

We found a really cool peninsula at D.T. Fleming Beach and had a blast exploring all the rock formations formed from lava, watching two turtles, and running through a crop maze.

We took the infamous "Road to Hana." Luckily no one got car sick and we had a great time discovering new flowers, visiting a black sand beach, and swimming in streams.

Ja tried paddle surfing.

We also went on a catamaran to Molokini (a crater) where Ja and my dad were able to go scuba diving with an instructor. They loved it and now want to become certified. We also went snorkeling at turtle bay. Unfortunately these pictures are on my mother-in-law's waterproof camera.

We went parasailing 800 feet in the air. My mom doesn't swim so I couldn't believe she did this. It was amazingly high up in the air. I have pictures from 800 feet up but they are also on the waterproof camera. Those are my parents up in the sky.

We had great food and very much enjoyed each other's company.

Oh, and for some reason, Ja never washed his hair. I think he wanted to be a surfer dude.

p.s. all the pictures are posted on our web gallery

We have a date!

Ja finally got word from PwC when he will start his job. Training starts August 24th. We are happy to finally receive a date because a) that means he still has a job, b) the job is in D.C. and c) we can start planning our life!

Our New Pet

It turns out we were taking care of a new pet, unbeknownst to us. It's probably been living in our car for the past week and a half. It wasn't smelly, didn't pee in the car, or eat any of our food. Luckily it didn't chew through any wires either. Here is a picture of it's home.

Jonathan took the car in to get an oil change and this is what the mechanic found. A rodent nest in our engine. It's no wonder why the check engine light came on. Now it's really time to buy some rodent repellent.

Williamsburg Family Vacation

The family met up in Williamsburg, VA this year for our historical family vacation. It rained on and off most of the week, but we realized that was a blessing. Thursday and Friday were sunny which made it very hot. We also had a few surprises: Holly was put on bedrest and Addie had to get stitches on her lip. Other than that we had a great time. 

Our first day was historical Williamsburg. We walked all over the town and I tried to take as many pictures as possible before my camera battery ran out. Did you know that Williamsburg was the capitol of Virginia before it was moved to Richmond? And that the college, William and Mary, is the 2nd oldest in the U.S.? Here are some of our pictures.

Henry, Luc, Addie, Brigham watching the cattle. Isn't it cute?

Ja, Addie, Trevor. The only time Addie sat still.

The kids loved having the wagon to play with.

Addie loved walking through every puddle she saw.

We also enjoyed some night time activities without the kids. We listened to ghost stories being told about places in Williamsburg. They have you walk to the homes where the ghosts are and then tell you the stories. The best part was attending the witch trial. Since it was against the law to be a witch, anyone thought to be a witch was put on trial. The judge, lawyer, sherriff, the witch, and witnesses were actors and we all pretended to be the jurors. We got to ask the witnesses questions, the accused and the witnesses got in a few verbal fights, and we voted wether we thought she was a witch. I voted her a witch because she failed the witch tests which were considered law at the time. She floated "unnaturally" when put in water, her "devil's teeth marks" didn't bleed (her moles), and she couldn't recite the Lord's Prayer. 

On Tuesday we went to a Mariner's Museum and learned all about the Civil War that was fought on water. I never thought about the water battles, I figured all the fighting was done on land. Both sides had large submarine-like ships that were the first of their kind. 

Next was Yorktown. It's a small little town on the coast. I don't remember too much about that place, except that we had a great lunch and took a family picture.

Jamestown was our fourth day and we enjoyed learning about the first settlement and the exploring the Indian village, the ships, and the soldier camp. The boys, I mean men, liked posing with their battle gear on.

We saved the most exciting part for last, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. This theme park was so much fun and the rides were very scary (fun after riding them but frightening while you're on it). Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but you can check out the website here. 

We had a blast and were very sad to return home and go back to work. But not for long because we leave for Maui in two days! Life is so hard.