No Words...

to describe the most beautiful sunset last night.

Guy Hagi the weather guy called it, so lots of people were ready.

between Instagram and FB I had 50 different views, each 

one as beautiful as the last.

Since Being Home...

flying in on a sunny day is probably the best.

I usually fly in at night, but since we changed our tickets

we got to see home from the air.

we went to one of our favorites...

Kakaako Kitchen

for a mahi sandwich on a taro bun...yum

all of the shower trees are in full bloom, so theres lots 

of places to park in the shade

ate Kahuku corn and watermelon two nights

in a row for dinner.

had to finally go to the market

and had to go to Lowe's and buy a new dishwasher...

yes, we've been busy

A Hui Hou Sweet Girls...

We had been living in our house about 5 months when a family moved in across

the street, the Adams family.  Jason, Gretchen, Avery, Brinn and Lulu.

Lulu was 4, Brinn was 6 and Avery was 8.

Last week they left for Seattle for a new adventure.

I realized when I was looking for photos that it was probably a really

good thing that we were in California an extra day and weren't here to see them go.

A lot of people have left this year, but this might have been the hardest to say aloha.

Our street has changed a lot over the years, but the girls were always here.

It was the girls who every year put our Christmas tree skirt around the tree.

It was the girls who helped carry food out for Thanksgiving dinner.

It was the girls who were always willing to help when asked.

When we didn't have power, we cooked outside in their yard

they dressed sweet Kili up as a Diva

helped me do flower arranging for church

helping make candy leis for Lauren's class

Lauren and Lu were such good friends, even not seeing each other

for a year they were such good friends.

pancake dinner and movie night

the girls and Paya

there were always "Phantom" holiday cookies left.

they knew Uncle Terry's favorite

last summer with Lauren and Su

a picture of the girls with Sujung, the "first" baby on the street.

they were all so little

Lulu and her kittens that were born under our house.

I know I've got a bunch of other pictures of New Years Eve parties,

Thanksgiving Day at Steve and Christines, movie nights,

pau hana bbq's and many more.

Looking at these makes me a little sad.  Hubby told me the other day that 

he missed the sound of their laughing.  We'll miss their kindness and them

growing up.

They used to laugh when we'd tell them that they could never leave us...

"...who will take care of us?"

Now we really wonder.

a hui you sweet Adams girlies

Hip Hop Hipster...

last thursday was Lauren's dance recital.  she's been taking hip hop dance for about a year

so this was her first recital.

Poppa and I don't quite understand hip hop, but it was fun 

to watch her dance.

we weren't expecting her to be thrown up, so this was a 

surprise.

Lauren and her very proud mom

hubby was telling us that Lauren's great-grandma took ballet when

she was young, so Lauren has rhythm in her genes!

we were so proud of our sweet Lauren,

she's quite the hipster.

Homeward Bound...

packing up the MH for the trip home.

will be back next month...

it was a trip of 4 changes in age,

seeing dear friends,

grandparent pride,

and a trip of sighs...

a trip of changes.

I printed out 2 of my photos to put in the small bathroom...I like them.

Hapa J's...

 We finally went to Hapa J's in San Clemente.

People have been telling us about it and that we should try it, because we' love it.

We'd been told that it was Hawaiian food.

It's hard when you live in Hawaii and eat local food all the time.

hubby ordered the teri-burger and said it was pretty good.  He likes his burgers

well done.

I got the mini-plate loco moco.

it was a fancy version.  had only 1 meat patty.  No tobasco, but they did have siraccha which

gave it the heat I was looking for.

I thought the meat was a little drier than I'm used to, but that's probably 

because they use a higher/less fat hamburger.

we'd go back again for sure, just to get some local style food.

Only wish that they'd use Aloha Shoyu instead of Kikkoman (yuck).

Change...

the other day I had to drive out to Rancho Santa Margarita.  Since I 

wasn't really sure where I was going I pulled up the directions on my phone.

It took me out the Ortega Hiway past our old house and farther.

I was trying to remember the last time I was out there...it's been years.

What a change!

All of the orange groves that were there are gone and

the hills are graded for houses.

I could hardly tell that this was the "dump road corner" it had

changed so much.

this is a sign that says that there are going to 12,000 homes in

Rancho Mission Viejo.

What the heck!

When we bought our first house in San Juan Capistrano 41 years

ago, there were only 5,000 people in the whole town.  There wasn't

a market (had to go to Capo Beach Vons or up to Mission Viejo).

There was a drive-in movie and after soccer everyone it seemed was at Thrifty's getting 

ice cream.

Our friends were telling me that the dump road is finally going to open all the 

way to San Clemente.  So is that going to be another way for those

12,500 families to get to the beach?