I just got back from a fabulous trip to see Steph, Ben, and Morgan in Hawaii for Spring Break! I had not seen them for over 10 weeks. It was awesome! Although I did not get the opportunity to utilize Space-A military flights over and back (read: FREE), it was a great trip. Steph and I had not been there for 20 years since our honeymoon and it was the first time for Ben and Morgan.
The first picture is me experiencing my "Navy roots" at the USS Arizona Memorial. It is always a moving experience, all the more so now that I joined the Navy. I also got to tour a submarine and a battleship before boarding the cruise ship. Our family "reunion" poolside was fantastic! The perfect rainbow in the picture really typifies the whole trip!
On Maui, we went up Haleakala Crater and rode down on bikes! What a fun time going 30 mph downhill on a bicycle with a van behind you so you don't have to worry about cars. The next day we snorkeled on Maui and saw some whales. We are sporting our UofA colors on the boat, as usual.
On the Big Island of Hawaii, we rode bikes through Volcano National Park one day and went snorkeling and touring the Kona coast on a Zodiac boat the next. Both were outstanding tours. At night, we all got involved in the cruise entertainment with Ben and Steph getting dragged up on stage to hula dance and I got picked one night to assist (read: "guinea pig") for a magic trick. The magician was even from Phoenix. Another night the comedian worked Ben and Morgan both into his act the whole night.
On Kauai, we got to take a helicopter ride, went to a luau, and hiked a little ways along the Na' Pali Coast which is beautiful as you can see from the picture of us. Overall, a fantastic trip but very hard to say goodbye again at the end........ :(
LCDR Butler
Well I am so glad to FINALLY see some of these family reunion pictures!!! I have been checking everyday about 4 times a day! I check here and then check facebook to see if Morgan put any pictures up. I saw her pictures last night on Facebook...It was a picture of Ben and Morgan, a picture of a turtle and a picture of the boat you were on. As cool as those were, I really wanted to see the family together again! So thank you for this! I LOVE the picture on the bike. That picture sums up your trip for me! I am sitting at my desk at work (taking a break from BSB PLC and Emurgent Care tax returns) with tears in my eyes (I know that surprises you all)!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you had such a wonderful time! Take care of yourself!
Love & Miss you!
Oh I forgot...
ReplyDeleteWhere were your "just Maui'd" shirts?????
Me too. Looks like you guys had fun! Cant wait to get the details from Steph and the kids. Anxious to catch up on FB and see more pics that I am sure the kids have posted. Keep safe with all the earth shakes we have been reading about. And ya! Cant believe no pics with Just Maui'd (20 yrs ago) on them. TeeHee
ReplyDeleteso glad you got to see Steph and the kids! What a wonderful place to vacation!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, Brad. I loved reading about your vacation. I can only imagine how wonderful it was to see your family, but also how hard it was to say good-bye. When will you see each other again....in Japan this summer? Thanks for sharing your photos!!! :)
ReplyDeleteOoops, I was signed in under Mike.....that was Kayren above! :)
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