Category Archives: Family

Maui 2026~Part Two

 

Do you see the window washer?

Our son Dan did all the preliminary planning of the more involved events like snorkeling, zip-lining, pineapple farm, etc. so the drives would be coordinated instead of zig zagging all around the island. Thanks, Dan.

On Friday October 2nd he planned a relaxing free day with no special events.

We had pool time and beach time and lots of photo time. We ended the day with dinner at Duke’s Restaurant which was right on our resort property.

Greg and I were captured on the path as we walked to Duke’s for an afternoon refreshment.

Granny Great got hit by a wave! Walking to find some famous Hawaii Shaved Ice…

A Wheelchair was rented to save Granny Great from the extra long stretches of walking.

There be three gentle and goodlie things
To be here
 To be together
And to think well of one another
~
L.M. Montgomery (from Pat of Silver Bush)
~
Thank you, to Lorrie (Fabric Paper Thread) for posting this quote I lifted for our time in Hawaii.
~
I was reading an article from Paul Tripp Ministries while in Maui and the title of a new teaching series (Mercy Triumphs over Judgement) where he shared his favorite verse of 2026,
James 2:13:
“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
~
As I sat amongst the twelve of us in Maui with different quirks and different personalities I thought this was a perfect verse to dwell on and consider…
Our third day was a full travel to experiences day. Saturday will take a few posts to cover.

Maui 2026 Part One

Our travel journal begins early on Thursday October 1st as we picked up our Colville family for our ride together to the Spokane Airport at 6am. The ride to the airport is about 2 hours from our homes. Our son dropped us off at the Alaska terminal with all our luggage that he tetrised into the back of our vehicle masterfully. I should have taken a photo!

We established our base camp and waited for the first leg of our flight to Maui which included a change of airplanes in Seattle.

Our kids from the Seattle side of the state were on a flight from Seattle earlier than our flight would be.

They arrived at our resort before us and paved the way for our easy entry.

We had the last two rows on the short ride from Spokane to Seattle. The flight attendants gave us some good laughs before we took off.

Mount Rainier was visible on our flight into Seattle.

The Puget Sound on our descent. We had enough time at Seatac airport for a quick bite before we boarded our next flight that would be approximately five and a half hours to Maui.

All aboard and ready to go on our final leg to Maui.

We saw a lot of the Pacific ocean before we finally saw land!

What a welcomed sight!

I took this photo above from the airport in Maui. Our Seattle crew of four secured two vehicles for our time in Maui. Our vehicle was waiting for us in the parking lot just across from our terminal exit. Another tetris job by our son and we had luggage for 8 and seating for 8 all set and ready for our hour+ trip to our resort.

Our daughter and daughter-in-law met us as we drove up to the resort with our room codes and to show us the lay of the land. Our first glimpse of our view from the condo was jaw dropping. The twelve of us enjoyed two condos side by side for the duration of our stay.

After we settled into our rooms, a walk down to the beach was on the agenda.

Looking back at our lodgings, Honua Kai Resort and Spa.

Looking north.

Looking South…

 

One of our side by side decks with some of our crew.

Our Seattle crew of four had already made the trip to Costco to stock up on water, snacks, breakfast and lunch items for the week. Our dinners would be eaten out at restaurants or the nearby food truck court.

Thursday was done and we were all looking forward to a relaxing Friday with nothing on the agenda.

Mahalo for stopping by today. More adventures coming tomorrow.

Happy Columbus Day here in the U.S.A. and a very Happy Thanksgiving Day to our friends in Canada! 

Tropical Escape

This has been our view from our home away from home for the last 8 days. Our travels home started on Maui time Friday October 9th and we arrived in the wee hours of Saturday October 10th. I’ll be recuperating before I flood my blog with our Maui adventures. Aloha and Mahalo for stopping by today.

Lost and Found July 2007

In July of 2007 my brother and his wife who live in Texas came for a visit to Seattle. They had been married for almost 1 year. We had fun doing all the touristy things we love to do with visitors, Pike place market, the troll, Kerry Park, Whidbey Island, etc.

One of the evenings they were in town our friends who live on the Sound in Edmonds invited our clan over for the evening. The post about this event has disappeared from my blog and I’m reinstating here. The photos aren’t the best but the memories are.

Our dear friend Jody was the hostess with the mostest and knew how to feed a crowd.

We enjoyed a fire pit in Jody’s beautiful English garden. Jody is married to Dave who was our doctor for years! He’s the fire starter in the orange shirt.

I did mention that they live on the Sound.

Mandy would have been meeting Dave and Jody for the first time. Our brother Leonard knew our friends well.

I wonder who is in the Dunn Lumber sweatshirt behind Josh and Laura?

Leonard, Mandy, Greg, Lana, Josh, Laura and I think the profile is Bridget, another one of Dave and Jody’s daughters.

Me and my sister, Lana, who happens to be Leonard’s twin. I see Jan in the background.

One of Dave and Jody’s daughters.

Another missing piece of Leonard and Mandy’s visit for our dinner gathering in Kirkland on the waterfront.

There will be a few more Old Lost and Found posts appearing fresh on my blog in the coming year.

Scary Angels

 

Broadway Day 7 044Uncle Joshie had a conversation with JJ that was too good not to document for the sake of my failing memory skills and for the joy it brought. Here is how it came over the family group text:

Josh: Fun JJ story from today. I was chatting with Daniel and JJ on the phone. 

JJ: I learned about what the Bible says angels looks like and it’s actually pretty scary sounding.

Josh: I agree. Do you remember what every angel says when a person encounters them in the Bible?

JJ: yes, “Do not be afraid”.

Josh: That’s right, so it makes sense they’re probably pretty scary looking. It’s funny how cute and cuddly most cherubs look in paintings.

JJ: well, if a little cute cherub appeared out of nowhere, I think it would probably still be a little scary. 

We all were sending back the laugh till we cry emojis. Love the thoughts our 7 year old grandson shares! Also pleased that Uncle Joshie makes the effort to have intelligent conversations with his nephews and niece.

California in September Finale

On Sunday morning 12 of us gathered in Pasadena at a restaurant on E. Colorado Blvd. for brunch. The name of the restaurant is Old Town Caffe and don’t let looks deceive you, it was a fabulous establishment serving great food and specialty coffees. The service was top notch, too.

It was a fun and laid back morning and good for some recovery time after all the labor of putting on the Bridal Tea. Even though Vera’s car got locked in the wrong parking structure and she had to call attendants to let her out, all worked out in the end and we made it back home for a little rest time before we dropped off Katie at the airport for her trip home.

Later on Sunday evening…

…five of us gathered at Mario’s Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Lenny, Vera’s son-in-law, thought it would be fun to say it was Vera’s birthday. She was treated to a birthday balloon crown for this fictitious day.

Monday last before I flew home on Tuesday, I met my dear recently widowed friend at a restaurant in Tustin. We spent 3 solid hours at our table in conversation good for both our souls. We didn’t think to take a photo of the two of us.

My trip to California was filled with people time. No beach time even though I was staying in Huntington beach with my sister.

And now it’s time to enjoy Autumn!

Bridal Tea 2

This is a photo overload post with all the people who gathered and made this beautiful Bridal Tea event possible.

The bride to be, Delaney and her future Mother-in-law, Michelle, the hostess and visionary for the event.

Soon to be family on the groom’s side.

Laney and Avery, Jack’s only sibling.

Some of my tribe with Laney

Showered with family from Jack’s side of the family (AKA: my nieces and daughters)

Jack’s Maternal Grandmother and Great Auntie’s

Me with my two older sisters

Delaney and our Laura

Our Laura with Jack’s Auntie Meem

Our sister Vera’s ‘girls’ and our Laura

Cousins through thick and thin!

Michelle’s very special friend ‘tribe’ and ladies that have been in Jack’s life for many years!

One of the bride’s sisters and some of her bridal party.

Friends from our Russian Baptist Church days

My sisters and our sister-in-law Kelly and friend Svetlana

Hooray! Jack showed up at the very end of the event just in time to load up all the presents and to take them to their future apartment.

Some of us got a sneak peek to how the apartment is shaping up!

It was a full and glorious Saturday with more fun planned for Sunday!

Bridal Tea 1

When someone puts so much thought and energy in making an event so special it needs to be documented. I choose to document it here on my blog. I was blown away at the vision our niece had for showering her soon to be daughter-in-law and for the tribe of helpers who came along side her to make it all come to life. As guests we were treated to a very special time at Delaney’s Bridal Tea. Our niece’s ‘tribe’ were there before the event and well into the night when the event was over cleaning up and washing tea cups and tea pots. What a wonderful community!

The shower was held in Ryan and Michelle’s yard in Newhall. Michelle is our sister Kathy’s oldest daughter. The groom, Jack, is Ryan and Michelle’s son.

Jack’s grandmother (my sister Kathy) and Jack’s auntie (my niece Melissa) gathered flowers at the L.A. Flower Mart the day before the event. They brought the flowers to Michelle’s the day before the event and many hands arranged the bouquets in the tea pots.

Kathy baked the meat filled piroshky and they were delicious and transported those of us with Russian heritage back to our Mother’s kitchens.

The father of the groom was the scone chef!

Cousins of Michelle’s came early and assembled the tea sandwiches.

Another cousin made Gluten Free tea goodies for those who are gluten intolerant.

A dear friend made these melt in your mouth meringue kisses!

Michelle’s ‘tribe’ helped from before the shower began through and to the end with all the details that help create an celebration to remember.

Lemon curd and Clotted cream were added to each table for the scones.

Our daughter-in-love, Laura, flew in early to be a support and helper for Michelle.

Another lovely detail were the shower favors that were on each guests place setting.

It was a love filled event from beginning to end.

My Bridal Tea II post will feature all the guests and the ‘tribe’ that made it all come together.

Hello Fall Hodgepodge 2026

 

It’s time for the first Autumn Hodgepodge of 2026. Thank you, Joyce!

1. Fall arrives this week in the northern hemisphere. Does it look/feel like fall where you live?What’s something you love to do this time of year that makes you feel its officially fall? 

*If you’re answering today from the southern hemisphere feel free to sub spring for the word fall. 

The corn maze is a Fall event we love to do. The Marcus Cider Fest is another event in our area that definitely screams Fall!

2. What’s a small daily task or chore that always seems to fall through the cracks when your schedule gets busy?

Planning and making meals.

3. What’s something you’re falling for lately? 

Scones with clotted cream and lemon curd. They were served at the Bridal tea I attended on Saturday and it is confirmed that I’m a fan!

4.  Pumpkin is a popular flavor this time of year.  Are you a fan? What’s your favorite pumpkin flavored food or beverage?  

Pumpkin flavor is okay but I’m not crazy for the flavor especially in drinks. I can enjoy pumpkin in cookies.

5.What’s something you wish would never change? Explain. 

The love our family has for each other. Our dear Pop/Dzeda would say to his family members, “Love each other, stay together”

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was in Southern California until yesterday getting home in the late afternoon/evening. I did not visit blogs while I was away. Our family was taking our dear old pop’s advice. We had a lot of together moments!

The Bride to Be…

I’m still in Southern California and it has been such a rich time with more to experience on this Monday and my last full day here. I have so much to share and hundreds of photos to go through. As per usual there is joy and sorrow that goes hand in hand in our community of believers. But for now the joy…

We gathered to celebrate the bride of our great nephew. Their wedding will be in October. What a special time we enjoyed with all these beautiful people!!

Our niece and her soon to be Daughter-in-law!

I will hopefully catch up with all of you soon.