Jan 27-29 Our last day at the beach, our last day, and our first day home.

January 27th we went back to Hapuna beach. As the kids splashed and "surfed," Melissa mentioned her regret that we didn't go whale watching.  Then a whale started jumping out in the distance.  It splashed 4-5 times. Perfect timing. 


Getting messy. 

Catching a big wave. 

Digging holes. 

Having an awesome older cousin.  We spent our usual 3-4 hours at the beach that day. Then we headed home to start cleaning and packing to leave the next day. 

January 28th the Frey's flew out about noon.  So we all packed leisurely in the morning and said our goodbyes.  After checking out of the AirBNB we went to the park near the house and played for an hour, then we went to explore.  We finally found Huli Huli chicken. Randy's Huli Chicken in Kealakekua was worth the wait (a week on the island, not a long line).  Chicken, pork ribs, brisket, rice, and pasta salad.  The chicken was so juicy, savory, smoky, and tender.  Everyone loved it.  I was glad we took the time to find it

We then stopped at Gypsea Gelato for potty breaks and gelato.  The kids all showed off their surfing skills at the entrance. 



We took our time and enjoyed some really good ice cream.  I got a coconut/chocolate mix, smartest decision ever, nobody wanted to steal mine!

After gelato we visited the south side of Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park to learn a bit more about the history of the island and her people.  We read about the way tribal land tracts were divided from the sea to the mountain, so each tribe had access to all resources the island offered. 
After a day driving, exploring and eating, we decided it was time to relax and went to see Sing 2 at the theatre. Sitting still in the dark for 2 hours was a perfect addition to a long and busy week. 

After the movie we went for our last outing. We walked Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail to see the sunset. 

Silly faces. 

Three little kids who were really mad we wouldn't let them get in the water. 

The only person on earth for whom I would agree to spend a week at the beach. Looking cute in one of her new Hawaii shirts. Featuring, coincidentally, our family in bear form.  3 girl bears and 2 boy bears. 
Then after a nice and quite dark walk back we stopped for dinner at a random Asian restaurant where we had char siu bao, fried shrimp, a cheese burger and popcorn chicken.

We got to the airport plenty early, which isn't hard to do when your flight leaves at 10:45 PM. The kids got a little antsy waiting for 2 hours, but when it was time to go they were great. 

The girls sat with Melissa and slept pretty well. Finley sat with me, we had an empty seat so he was able to stretch out a little.  He would get up, not wake up, every 45 minutes and look around in confusion while trying to sit up.  I tried talking to him, explaining where we were and that he needed to sleep. It didn't work, so I learned to just pull him down and sweep his arms out from under him, then he'd sleep again for the better part of an hour.  

We landed in Phoenix about 7:30 AM and drove to Dewey, to grandma Flick's house.  Grandma and Grandpa Aurich were there, which was a blessing, Melissa and I couldn't sleep on the plane. She and the kids joined them for a late breakfast.  I went straight to the office and pulled out the couch. I slept about 60 minutes, got up and ate a biscuit and 2 pieces of bacon.  The kids were watching Ice Age with grandpa and Melissa was asleep in the guest bedroom, so I went back to sleep for another 30 minutes.  Then we all chatted a while, gave hugs and hit the road again. 

We got home well after dark. Somebody was happy to have her kitties again. 

And the Lego room made for an easy transition back to normal life. 

 

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