Making Memories Poolside

We went into this week with much discussion about if we should rent a car or not.  Would the crazy cost of it be worth the freedom it would provide?  We decided that since we were staying at such a fantastic place with all our favorite people, if the week was just spent laying around the pool and beach laughing and catching up, it would be well spent!  So, those will be some of our favorite memories of this trip-- deep sister talks in the adults only infinity pool, Miles' hilarious underwater videos, giant pina coladas served in actual pineapples, Delia convincing Grandpa to go down the waterslide with her, or the nightly family dip in the starry Whale Pool hot tub.

  

We gave Delia a little underwater camera for her birthday and it ended up being SO FUN!  She loved making videos of her many trips down the waterslide and then screen shotting happy faces.

(After she and Grandpa dramatically flipped their tube!)

Can't even count how many laps we took around the lazy river in all different fun family combinations.

Some of us tried to avoid the many waterfalls, some of us reveled in them! ;)

Ella may tell you the discovery of tropical poolside drinks was a trip highlight for her!

There were 2 lovely infinity pools with amazing views of the ocean.  One was adults only, the other was in the pool we dubbed the "Whale Pool" because when you went underwater in it, you could hear whale sounds!

Delia had a few Dole Whips-- Disney style!

One day we took a little break from the water to explore the property with a family scavenger hunt! We broke into teams (mine was me, Delia, Kris and Chris...dubbed Team ChKris+) and followed clues, making fun things happen around the resort when we solved them.  We made drums play and fires light and water spout at the people on the lazy river.

  

Some family members were able to get entire books read.  Others brought along their Book Club homework, but barely opened it because there was always a nephew who needed a ride on a water slide or a brother-in-law who needed a snorkel buddy, or a sister-in-law who needed a conversation! ;)

We enjoyed plenty of a poolside snacks and lunches too.  We could order pizzas or burgers or delicious ahi nachos right from the pool bar and enjoy them in our lounge chairs.  Uncle Chris even ran out and got Delia her favorite treat-- malasadas from the famous Leonard's, Portuguese stuffed donuts!  Yum!

Each night after sunset the family would meet up in our favorite Whale Pool for a soak in the hot tub.  We loved this pool because the carved canopy over it would light up with stars each night.  From the fun food and the drinks, to the atmosphere and activities...every little thing was just so special!

The Amazing Aulani

Three days of stress preceded our magical week in Oahu.  To get on a plane to Hawaii we had to have a lot of medical documentation, which we understood and were on board with.  But unfortunately, the days before we left were also VBS at our church, so we had less time to work with and more exposure to people than we'd had in a year.  Passing a COVID test and getting the results within the perfect 72 hour window gave us a few sleepless nights and some digestive distress, but alas, with mere hours before we boarded, the results came in and our Hawaii Safe Travels code was able to be scanned for this priceless entry bracelet!  I can't even describe the relief!

A smooth five hours later and we were landing in the paradise of Honolulu!

Chris and Karen reeeeeeally spoiled us all by booking each family a villa at the nicest place we've ever stayed-- the Aulani in the ritzy Ko'Olina.  We were awed every day by warm customer service, beautiful design and architecture, no shortage of fun things to do right on the property, and amazing attention to detail.  Having a villa with 2 full bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 balconies, a living room and full kitchen was bliss too! 

Koi ponds and waterfalls and rainbow flowers wowed us every step we took on the winding paths around the 4 pools, 5 hot tubs, 2 waterslides, and 1 lazy river.

Almost every  night we'd walk out to Sunset Point on the edge of our lagoon and enjoy views of our resort and the sun melting into the ocean right beside it.

Delia's favorite thing about the Aulani was Menehune Hunting!  Hidden around the resort, inside and out, are 300 of these little Polynesian builder statues.  They have a fun story about being mischievous.  At first they were hard to find, but once we got the hang of it, Delia started spotting them EVERYWHERE.  She didn't find all 300, but probably close!

Some friends have asked just how "Disney" the Aulani is and I reply that it was definitely more Hawaiian than Disney.  The Disney stuff was subtle, but fun-- like characters wandering around the lazy river to wave hello or the storytelling, ukulele playing cast member who would serenade and tell us stories every night in the pools.  What we felt was most "Disney" was the quality of service and authentic experience.

Every day we'd get a new colored bracelet to get us into all the pools.  Delia actually still wears this rainbow on her arm!  It was fun to spot other Aulani guests at the airport on the way home.

The VMs Modeling Gig in Oahu! ;)

The whole VM clan is just returning from a glorious week in the paradise of Oahu, celebrating Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary, which I am certain you already know, reader, because I assume you are a family member! ;)  The many stories and pictures of this trip of a lifetime will slowly trickle out as time allows in the busy back to school first weeks of August.  But, this little taste is probably the group of pictures I am most exited about-- the family portraits we hired a Hawaii photographer to take on our resort's hidden lagoon.  I think the joy of being together was captured!  Watch for our matching Christmas cards this year!

 And a few behind the scenes...

If you happen to NOT be a family member reading this and find yourself in a need of a photographer in Hawaii, let me give you the info for ours!  She was super sweet! 

A Tale of Two Parties

14 and 16.  Birthdays that mark major changes for my girls.  Ella driving and starting to figure out college and career, Delia in high school.  We couldn't let them pass without some major celebrating!  Each girl picked out her dream party and this July we made them happen.  

Ella wanted a day at the beach with her friend group of 17.  Getting 17 busy, working, travelling high schoolers to all be free on the same summer day proved challenging, but this group of 10 that could make it had a blast!  The day was everything Ella hoped it would be...

  

Swimming in the surf

Boogie boarding and skim boarding

Spike ball

Building sand castles alongside gorgeous crashing waves

Walks to the lighthouse

The sights, sounds, smells, and feels of the beach

Jumping waves

A solid 12 hours of quality time with some of her favorite people

And Pizza My Heart to cap it all off!

 

Delia's party went in a slightly different direction. ;)  After the fun of Murder at the Pizzeria with Kris, Kyle and the boys, Delia wanted another Murder/Mystery party with her drama loving friends.  The 8 friends who could come went ALL OUT.  For weeks texts flew around about characters being played, costumes being worn, and make up being done.  The night of the party had us cracking up-- at everyone's amazing costumes, first of all, but then at how everyone totally brought it for the game.  There were accents and ad libs and embellished backstories and even an off script (fake) fight between two characters!  In the end, it was discovered that Vanity Valentine the actress (aka Delia) was the one who shot John Doe in his train compartment.

This was a fun party to put together!  Our sweet school director let us raid the costume and prop closet to help get ready.  Since it was set on a train in the 1930's, we went with a dinner of hor d'oeuvres and sparkling juice, with classy gold and black decorations and lots of old suitcases.  

These funny girls were so into playing their parts that even when the murder was solved, they STILL wanted to stay in character and show off their costumes, so they decided to take the act to public with a walk around the neighborhood!  I can only imagine the conversations they generated..."I was driving home and I think I saw a nun and girls in formal dresses and furs walking around the park?"

If you know Delia, you know she gets passionate about particular things and loves them hard!  She is always up for a theme party (See: Shamu, pandas, donuts, etc.).  She had a blast doing two of her favorite things, dressing up and acting, with her best friends!  Now that my high schoolers have been well celebrated this summer, bring on the next fun year of teenage life!!