Visit from Dama Jill and Dampa Lynn

Jill and Lynn came over to Oahu to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary (Happy Anniversary guys!) and we were lucky enough to have them come see us on Maui for a few days. Jay was in pure heaven. All 4 grandmas and grandpas in one house? It doesn't get much better than that. We had such a good time with them here. We packed quite a bit into the short 2 1/2 days they were here. My mom, dad and I worked hard to get the house looking great for their arrival (it needed some help, and their coming gave us the extra push we needed to get it done). My favorite project we undertook was painting the guest bedroom. It took a long time but it turned out so well. My mom and I sponge painted one wall, which neither of us had ever done before. It was actually really fun and very easy. The results were more than we expected. My dad keeps commenting on how great it looks. We're very proud of our accomplishment. I also took apart two huge picture frames (which had ugly faded pink hotel room picture in them) and painted the mattes the same shades of green we painted the wall. We then found some pretty new posters to go inside and put them together. My dad worked hard to put a beautiful new fan up in the room, so it looks great now. We're very happy with our work.
Back to the Connelly's visit. Their first morning here we went on a whale watching trip. We did an early morning trip (7 am) to get a discount, plus we think the whales tend to be more active in the morning. We saw so many whales! It really was incredible. Jay loved it too. Whenever we were looking for a whale he would say (like his grandma), "Come on whale, come and see Jay!" They are such amazing creatures. This time of year in Maui is really the best way to see them.
Towards the end of the whale watching trip Jay became tired and rested on this table. It looked pretty funny, and not at all comfotable :)
After our trip Jill, Lynn and I decided to check out a scuba shop since we are all certified. We found out a beach dive was being offered in two hours so we jumped at the chance and signed up. We had another awesome experience with the sea, only this time it was underwater. It was my first time ever diving in the ocean and it was truly incredible. You just don't realize what a huge world their is under the sea, and so foreign to our own. We saw hundreds of fish, including the famous Hawaiian state fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua. We also swam with turtles, including one seriously giant turtle about 5 feet wide by 6 feet long. He didn't really swim though, just sat on the ocean floor. He must have been at least 100 years old. We also saw an octopus. Our guide picked it up and let a few people hold it. It wrapped itself entirely around one man's neck and tank. After seeing that I decided just touching a tentacle was enough for me. It was a great experience overall and I'm so glad we went. Later that evening we had a wonderful dinner at our favorite restaurtant, Lelanis. We even had two huge slices of hula pie to share. Yum! Jay couldn't get enough.
On the Connelly's second day we took a trip over to the other side of the island to show them the Iao Needle. Jay had a great time, just like he did on our first trip to the needle. Jill was in absolute heaven. She loves the outdoors and our little hike was right up her ally. We hung out the rest of the day, relaxing and taking a walk into Lahaina. Mom made an excellent dinner complete with steak, yams, her special salad, garlic bread, grilled asparagas and grilled pinnaple. It's her special guest dinner and it was perfect.
The next morning we took a short walk on the beach and played until the Connellys had to leave.It was too soon for all of us, especially Jill and Jay who had a very hard time parting with each other. We're so glad they came for a visit though and hope to be together again soon.