Thanksgiving in Paradise

We returned today from a fabulous week in Maui.  We had such a great week with Chris' parents and the Whitfields.  The weather looked iffy before we left so I was not holding my breath, but we had almost 7 full days of sunshine.  It rained one afternoon, which probably saved me from a very bad sunburn, so even that was a good thing.  We were on the beach by about 8:00 every morning and spent most of our time there.  We went snorkeling, paddle boarding, and sea kayaking right at the place we were staying.  Chris and I also had a great double date night out with the Whitfields and another date night out in Lahaina where we got to see an amazing show called Ulalena, which I would recommend to anyone visiting Maui.  We spent the rest of the time just hanging out with the family.  Our niece Sophie even started saying what at least sounded like my name, a definite highlight for me.  It was one of those perfect weeks with not really any hurdles or hitches.  Thanks Johnsons and Whitfields for such an amazing week!



Sunset from the dinner table.

 




We discovered paddle boarding.  Apparently, it is the new thing to do.



 

Just a little wind.

Sophie the sand monster came out in full force and was adorable on the beach.

 



 

I have never spent Thanksgiving in a warm climate, but I think that it is something that I could get used to.  While we were in Maui, Boise's temperatures took a dive and snow dumped.  It was fun to drive up and see our snow covered yard.  We always wanted to see what Bella was like in the snow.  She loves it! If we had to leave Maui, at least we got to come home to a puppy frolicking in the snow.



The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I am not really sure where the first two weeks of November went.  Things have been busy in the Johnson household!  Both of us have been busy with work and Chris has spent a ton of time lately in the yard cleaning up the blanket of leaves that the beautiful fall trees left.  I am not so sure he loves the trees as much as I do anymore.  He has worked hard and the yard looks great!  The only problem is that there are still four hold-out trees with all of their leaves still on them. His work will continue, but he will be rested after our upcoming trip to Hawaii.  I have been in Las Vegas and Colorado this week on work trips.  I don't know how the frequent work travellers out there do it.  I find the entire experience of travelling on work exhausting and am so happy to be home!

This is our favorite time of year and I cannot believe that it is already here.  This weekend was the official holiday kick off for us. We had a date night last night to see the Warren Miller's Wintervention, which got us in the mood for skiing. We broke out the Christmas music this morning. We made a trip to Home Depot to purchase lights for the house (we are SO excited to put some up!).  Ever since I married Chris, I wanted to get my hands on his nutcrackers, literally.  He received a unique nutcracker for Christmas every year from a good family friend and built up quite the collection.  I think that they are the coolest decoration ever.  His mom was always eager to pass them on to us, but we never had anywhere appropriate to display them.  This year they were the first decoration that I put up. I absolutely love them!  Thanks Nethercutts for giving Christopher such an awesome gift year after year that I now get to enjoy.

We even had a wonderful early Thanksgiving dinner with my mom tonight complete with turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, among all the other yummy things.  Thanks mom for such a great dinner!  The holidays are here and they are going to be awesome!

Halloween Continued: Diva, Ninja, Cow, Horse, and an Octupus

Since Bella does not really count for a Halloween cutie, I thought I would post my family's real Halloween cuties.  A  diva, a ninja, a cow, a horse, and an octopus . . . how is that for some serious variety?  I am totally biased, I know, but I think that I have some pretty cute nieces and nephews, two of whom had birthdays this week!  I am a lucky Aunt.



Brad (turned 11 on October 25th) and Kialaia (7)



Tyler (3) and Owen (10 months)



Sophie (turned 1 on October 26th)