So long summer.....

It's really hard to believe that August is already here.....where has the summer gone?

I know that for most of you, there is still another month of summer to go, right? Not so much here in Hawaii. For one thing, our weather is really not much different from one month to the next, so that factor certainly doesn't create a feeling of changing seasons. In addition to that, even though the state of Hawaii manages to have the fewest number of school days of any state in the entire country, they still start school at the beginning of August (tomorrow in fact). Still trying to figure out that math on that one. ;) So, even though we have barely dipped our toes into the month that is August, our summer is quickly coming to an end.

Zander starts preschool on Tuesday, where he will officially be a member of Miss Liz's four-year-old Goldfish Class. Lots of his buddies from last year will be in his class again this year, so he is very excited. Charley, on the other hand, does not start school until August 25th, only because she is going to a private school that follows more of a traditional school calendar. So, she and I are looking forward to some good old-fashioned "girl time" over the next few weeks.

I suppose I better rewind for a minute before delving into what is on the agenda for August. Perhaps the most significant event that occurred in July, which I could not previously discuss on here, was a surprise trip that was planned for my Mom's birthday. Here's the story.....

Way back in January, my Mom's sisters (Margie and Barb) and I began to discuss the fact that Mom's 60th birthday was coming up this year in July, and that we needed to plan something really cool to celebrate. We briefly tossed around the idea of a big party, but we opted instead to entertain the idea of a surprise "girl's trip" instead, which is way more my Mom's style. Long story short, after months of planning, organizing, lying, and sneaking around, my Mom was convinced that she was going to make a quick four-day trip to the Seattle area at the beginning of July with my Aunt Barb, just to go over for a brief visit with their sister, Margie. Unbeknownst to her, I flew in the day she was to arrive at Margie's, and surprised her when they finally pulled in. Needless to say, she was shocked, confused, and excited. She hadn't even had time to recover from this surprise before she was met with another cool surprise....my brother, Clay, had driven up from Portland with his girlfriend to visit Mom too. We all had a great time hanging out at Margie's that night, and the next day we had ANOTHER surprise for Mom: a trip to Victoria, B.C.

So, all us girls hopped in the car and drove to Port Angeles, Washington, where we caught a ferry to Victoria. For the next three days we stayed at one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels in Victoria, the Fairmont Empress. If you haven't been to Victoria before, I would highly recommend it. It was breathtaking! We lounged, ate tons of food, toured the Butchart Gardens and Butterfly Gardens, went on a carriage ride, at fresh halibut at fisherman's wharf, shopped, toured a castle, and shared more laughs than I have experienced in a very long time. The weather was perfect with clear sunny skies, although I did have to whip out my pants and jacket a few times (and I loved it!). When our time there was up, we returned to Washington, and unfortunately Barb had to head back to Montana for work. However, Marge and I kidnapped Mom for another five days, and Margie gave us the grand tour of Tacoma, Washington. We barbecued, spent a day at the ocean in Ocean Shores, went on picnics, toured through town, went shopping, and shared a million more laughs along the way. I even got to hang out with a childhood friend of mine (and a pseudo member of our family), Kristin, which was entertaining, as usual. ;)

It was one of the most memorable and fun trips I've ever experienced. To be able to hang out with these amazing women was definitely something I will cherish forever, and I am so proud to call these ladies my family. My Mom was pretty touched as well. She said it was the best birthday present we could have possibly given her, and she would hold this time very close to her heart forever. It was definitely a trip I will never forget, and something I hope I get to do again (Barb, 60 is only a few years away, right?).

Brian did a fabulous job hanging out at home with the kids, and everything was well taken care of when I got home. I didn't have much time for down time, as we had company arriving two days after I returned, but my trip was definitely rejuvenating enough to keep me moving along. We welcomed my friend Lisa (we met over ten years ago in grad school), and her husband, Tim, and daughter, Lily, who came all the way from New York to spend a week with us. We had an awesome time catching up, touring the island, snorkeling, swimming, eating, and all the usual fun stuff we do here on the Palm Family Tour. Thanks for coming guys!

Since their departure last week, I've been super busy getting the kiddos ready for school, as I hunt for school clothes, shoes, supplies, finish up all paperwork, attend meetings, etc. Aside from one more glue stick and some socks that I need to buy, I think everybody is good to go.

From here on out, August will be another busy month for us. The kids both start back up with swimming lessons tomorrow (both in Level 2), Zander starts school Tuesday (which will be three mornings a week), and Grammy Bev arrives for a visit next week. Shortly after her arrival, we've got Zander's 4th birthday (and party) to get ready for, as well as Charley's first day of kindergarten. I have a suspicion that this marks the beginning of a very busy and quick last year in Hawaii for us. It's hard to believe that at this point we have less than a year left.

Still trying to figure out where the heck time goes.....how is it possible that we've already been here three whole years this month?!?