Hawaii Pictures

We have finally sorted out the almost 900 digital photos we took in Hawaii and are ready to start posting them. We decided to post just one day's photos at a time, and a brief synopsis of the day's activities. So, without further adieu, here are the first day's pictures. Click here

Day 1 - July 11th
Travel Day
The limo picked us up at the house at 11:30am. The girls had their stuff packed and ready to go by 11:00am, so they sat on the front porch for about 30 minutes watching with great anticipation for the limo. During the hour ride to the airport in Omaha, the girls watched a DVD while Jeff and Annie went over the game plan for the next seven days.

Lori H and her two sons met us at the airport and gave us a nice send off. Both of our planes (Omaha to Phoenix and Phoenix to Honolulu) were both on time, and all of our luggage made to the island as well. It was 8pm local time in Honolulu when we arrived, which means it was 1am Lincoln time. We were met in the Honolulu airport by Bev our lei greeter. She helped us find our luggage and rental car. Hunger set in and we happened to find a McDonald's on the way to the hotel. By the time we ate and checked in to our hotel, it was about 3:30am Lincoln time. It didn't take long to fall asleep :)

Kerstin's Home

Kerstin and her family made it home yesterday. (And so did all their luggage.) Everyone is doing fine, but the "jet lag" hit a little harder than expected. The family didn't get up today until about 10:30am. We have been busy catching up on being gone for the last week, but we promise to post pictures as soon as possible.

Oh, and Kerstin finally got the pesky loose tooth out (bottom middle). Just hours before leaving Hawaii, she finally wiggled it enough so that her mom could pull it out with out much effort. So we had a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night. Apparently the going rate for the "first" tooth is four quarters and one Sacagawea dollar coin for a grand total of $2.00.

Last Day in Hawaii

Today is our last day in Hawaii. While we have all had a good time, we are ready to get back home to see everyone. Our flight leaves at 10:55pm tonight. Until then we are going to do a little more souvenir shopping, and go to the beach one more time. Be sure to check back soon to see more pictures of Kerstin's trip. Thanks again to all the Make-A-Wish people, friends, and family who make this wish a reality. God bless and Take care.

The Luau

Kerstin and her family got to attend a luau last night. There were lots of crafts and activities to do. Kerstin and her sister even got to get up on stage and hula.

Some Beach Time

The girls haven't got to spend as much time at the beach as they would like, but they got in a few hours today. The weather was perfect for it.

Diver Down

Kerstin and the family got to go submarining today. We went down as far as 110 feet and saw all kinds of sea life. The submarine tour lasted about 45 minutes and was a lot of fun.

Pearl Harbor

We spent the day at Pearl Harbor and have lots of pictures of it. In this one the girls are standing in front of one of the anchors from the USS Arizona. (The other anchor is back in Phoenix.) In addition to visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, we also toured the USS Bowfin (submarine) exhibit and museum. (We will be posting lots of pictures in the near future.)

Kerstin's health continues to be good, which was a concern to us with all the stress that goes along with traveling. She seems to be full of energy at the end of the day, which is more than we can say for mom and dad.

Thanks again for checking in on Kerstin.

Swimming With Dolphins

Kerstin went to Sea Life Park today where we got to see all kinds of fun stuff. The highlight was swimming with the dolphins. Kerstin, her sister, and her dad got spend 30 minutes in the water with "Nani" (a three year old female dolphin). They got to pet her, shake hands (fins), play fetch with a ball, and kiss her. It was definitely a special experience.

Checking Back on the Previous Posts

Just FYI, we are planning to go back and add links to all the Hawaii posts where you can see a lot more pictures. For now, we wanted to get a few single pictures up on the site. Once we get a chance to sit down, sort through all the pictures, and get them uploaded we'll let you know. Thanks and God bless.

Pineapples Everywhere

We started the day off with a little stroll around our hotel's neighborhood, then drove up to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. They have the world's largest maze there where you can go through and find six different stencils to put on a scorecard. We spent a lot of time wondering around there. After that, we enjoyed some great pineapple ice cream treats and took a ride on the Pineapple Express to see more of the plantation. From there we decided to take the drive around the north side of the island to get back to our hotel in Wikiki. We found a great little shack of a restaurant to eat at on the way. It was dark by the time we got back to the hotel and everyone was ready for bed.

Arriving In Honolulu

It was a long day of traveling, but we finally made it. We were greeted at the airport by Bev (one of the Kenui Lei Greeters). The lei's smelled as great as they looked.

Ride'n In Style

The limo was right on time. The girls even got to watch a DVD on the way to the airport. A person could really get used to being spoiled like this.

Kerstin's wiggly bottom tooth has been bothering her for weeks. So tonight her Dad suggested (jokingly) that we try the old string and door knob method of removing it. She actually agreed to it! Unfortunately we were unsuccessful (twice). The tooth is shaped like a cone and we couldn't get the string to tighten down on it. We told her not to worry about the Tooth Fairy finding her in Hawaii if it comes out there.

Make-A-Wish Send Off Dinner

The Make-A-Wish people held a send off dinner for Kerstin this evening. Kerstin got to chose the place (Valentino's) and she got to invite a few friends and family. Kerstin's grandparents from Colorado even made the trip. Jane and Penny from Make-A-Wish gave Kerstin her itinerary and a bag full of goodies to use on the trip. We are definitely getting excited now that we have gotten the itinerary and have seen all the great stuff they have planned for us to do while we are there. (To see more pictures of the dinner, click on the title "Make-A-Wish Send Off Dinner".) We just wanted to thank everyone from Make-A-Wish, and all of our friends and family who continue to bless our lives.

4th of July!

Happy Independence Day! We hope everyone had a great, but safe, day! We were blessed with a visit from Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Joann. They can stay for a couple of days! We spent most of the day swimming and hanging out by the pool. We went back home to grill porkchops for supper. Grandpa and the girls did a great job! It was such a beautiful day! After supper we went over to the park to light our parachutes (we made the mistake of lighting them at home last night - some poor parachuter is in his new tree home). The girls had a blast chasing down the parachutes! We lit a few more in the evening and saved some for when it got darker. Unfortunately, Jeff is on duty today, but we had some firework fun with Dad last night!

It has been a while since we have updated (no news is good news!). Kerstin continues to feel great! She did wake up ravenous yesterday morning, ate two bowls of Cheerios, and then slept for 3 more hours! We had Vacation Bible School last week which kept us all busy, but very happy! Kerstin gets to visit Dr. G. on Thursday. We hope for more good news!

Have a blessed week!

TNT BBQ

Last night Kerstin and her family attended a Team in Training BBQ. We had a great time meeting lots of new athletes and honored patients (and seeing some familiar faces). The food was great and we had beautiful weather for it. Thanks again to Ryan and Sheri for hosting, and big thanks to all the athletes and what they do to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. (Click the title for more pictures.)

No More Training Wheels

Kerstin reached another mile stone today: no more training wheels. We have tried a couple of times this summer without success. She didn't really even want to try today, but we "convinced" her to. Her mom had to hold her up the first couple of attempts, then dad took over. After five feet of holding on to her, he let go and Kerstin didn't even realize it. For about 30 yards all Kerstin could say was, "I can't do it, I can't do it." Her dad who was walking three feet to her side finally said, "But you are doing it." After that there was no stopping her. (Except for one minor crash.) We can finally get rid of her junky little "training" bike and she can ride her new bike full time now. (Click on the title "No More Training Wheels" for more pictures.)

Father's Day

Kerstin and her family participated in the Father's Day Trail Trek. There was a 5, 12, and 24 mile routes. 5 miles was good enough for us this year. After the ride there was a picnic and fun stuff to do at Antelope park. (For more pictures click on the title "Father's Day".)

Update

Just thought we had better give an update. Kerstin actually is fighting a cough/cold this week. She woke up Tuesday morning sounding "croupy". We had a nice visit to her pediatrician who assured us it is just a virus. The cough is hanging on, but she is hanging in there. I can tell that it has made her a bit more tired than usual.

We have been busy with swim team for McKinsey and swimming lessons for Kerstin started this week. We LOVE the pool!

Today we had a lot of fun things to do. We started off by getting to go see the new movie "Cars" courtesy of our insurance agent. Thanks, Chuck! What a fun movie! We also brought some things to a garage sale at a friend's house where the girls had fun selling treats. Next, we drove to Omaha for a Team in Training event. The Tahoe century bike riders got together for their pool and picture party. (The picture above is from that event today - Kerstin swam quite a bit, but found some time to "hang out" next to the pool and make our friend Darren play silly games :) It was fun to see the riders and coaches again. We also got to meet the other honored patient, Rachel and her family. What wonderful people! Coach Mike made an awesome video of the event. We continue to be amazed and inspired by all the wonderful people out there who work so hard to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society! We know that they are really making a difference for kids like Kerstin. (Click the title "Update" for more TNT party pictures.)

Thanks for checking on us! Have a Happy Father's Day all of you Dad's out there tomorrow!!! Annie

Survivors Night at the Zoo

Kerstin, McKinsey and Annie went to the Lincoln Zoo for a Cancer Survivors Celebration last night. We had a nice time seeing all the new exhibits and animals. McKinsey was especially interested in the monkeys! They had pizza, brownies, and prizes, too! It was nice to see so many people and hear about the progress in Cancer research. We have already made plans to attend next year! (Click on the title "Survivors Night at the Zoo" for more pictures.)