We are outie . . .

Yep, it's that time of year again . . . time to go freeze our buns in Montana!!

But before we head that direction, I wanted to give you the low down on our happenings. We've slowly been recovering from Christmas, getting stuff put away, catching up on long neglected house chores, restocking the food shelves, and slowly getting ready to head out of here . . . which especially requires a lot of preparation when you are going to a wintry climate with NO winter wardrobe to speak of.

Yesterday was our last day to hang out as a family, so our original plan was to hit the waterpark. However, the weather did not exactly cooperate with our plans, so instead we decided to take a ride on an old train run by the Hawaiian Railway Society. We arrived a few minutes early, so the were exploring a bit, and much to their delight, they found a fallen coconut (the one Charley is holding above her head in the above picture). So they took turns playing with the coconut, and at one point, while we were standing in line, I heard Zander saying "Charley, Charley, look at my peanut, look at my peanut!!! . . . quite loudly of course, because come on, he is MY son. For those of you that don't know, "peanut" is our code word for a boys' private parts, so I was a bit alarmed when I heard Zander making exclamations about his peanut in public. I was even more horrified when I realized that he was holding the coconut up to his groin area and yelling "Look at my peanut!"

Now, don't start getting worked up and thinking you need to go call DHS on us. :) We have explained to our kids about their private parts, modesty, and appropriate behavior . . . but let's face it, Zander is 3, he is a boy, and he is quite fascinated with his boy parts sometimes, as most boys his age are. So anyway, Brian and I couldn't help but chuckle, particularly when this old man came up and tapped me on the shoulder and said, "See, we are born that way, it's not our fault."

We eventually made it on the train, coconut and all, and the ride was rather pleasant for about the first 45 minutes. But then the rain hit, and even though the train was covered, the rain pelted us from the sides, and by the time we got back, we were drenched and cold (yes, even here in Hawaii!). Thankfully the kids were good sports, and I reminded Brian that the icky rain made the ride that much more memorable.

Last night I hosted our January book club meeting, where we discussed Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol," and we also had a "healthy" pot-luck dinner. This book club is a regular highlight for me . . . I love trying out books I normally wouldn't pick, I love all the ladies that participate in book club, and there is always plenty of laughs to go around. We might all be nerds, but we are fun nerds!

Today the kids returned to school for the first time since mid-December. Of course they are a bit bummed that they only get this one day of school before our LONG trip to Montana . . . but the excitement of the Montana trip is enough to keep their spirits up.

So, tomorrow we leave for our long-awaited trip. The kids and I will be leaving tomorrow morning and arriving tomorrow night in Montana . . . 80 degrees to 8 degrees in 12 hours. We will be there for five whole weeks this year, until February 16th, and Brian will join us for the last two weeks of the trip. We already have tons of stuff lined up . . . getting my hair done at Andrea's new salon in Missoula, seeing my sister's new house, staying at a cabin with Andrea for two nights in a remote area, meeting up with old friends from high school, a girls' week when Kathy and Marian fly out from D.C. and Andre from Hawaii (3 nights in a bed and breakfast and dog sledding included), and all sorts of other fun stuff. Can't wait!

While we are gone, Brian is going to be extremely busy with work, as it is the Airstation's annual safety team visit. He will also be finishing up his Master's and will officially be done one week from today. So proud of him! Hopefully he will also get some much-needed Brian time, which will likely include some golfing, some football, some Wii playing, and who knows what else. He will then join us on February 2nd for two weeks of skiing, sledding, ice skating, and all that fun winter stuff.

Soooo, my blogging might be light while I'm gone, but I'm always reachable by phone and email. I'll try to blog in the next few weeks, but if I don't get a chance, make sure to check back with me after February 16th when we return.

Happy New Year everyone!