Dear Family and Anniversary Couple

It's finally time for an UPDATE  ... letters for everyone ! ! ! ! ! !  Just because there has been a long lapse in communication, does not mean there is a lapse in love and appreciation for my family! So, without further ado ...

Dear BF ~ You are my biggest and best encourager, and let me tell you there is some competition out there!  You always compliment my choices, my hobbies, my cooking, and even my cleaning ... ok, maybe not my cleaning ... I suspect you secretly wish I wouldn't clean as much so you can stand back and admire your mountains a little longer.  Thank you for allowing me to splurge for a  r/t  ticket back to the islands, and for three weeks no less!  Loving you always ~ GF

Dear Daughter ~ you already know how much it means for me to have my grandbabies around.  They are my joy.  It won't be long before I have TWO   Princesses fighting for my lap on the riding lawnmower ... or who's gonna sit with me on the chair while we watch cartoons in the afternoon!  I had a lot of fun picking out Hawaiian outfits for them, and other souvenirs for you and Ty.  I sure hope all the legal things can be taken care of soon so that you no longer have any roadblocks to your happiness for the future. With Love, MOM

            

Dear Oldest Son ~ thanks for coming up to help out at the farm.  I can see you've actually taken to it quite well!  I can also see the attraction is to all the equipment at your disposal!!!  HAHA ... You'll have to help me get accustomed to the new tractor ... the rest, if I can't run it, it's YOUR job!  haha ... and the riding lawn mower is MINE MINE MINE ... hands off less I tell you you can, got it?!?!?!?! Love, MOM

Dear Youngest Son,   ~ thanks ever so for NOT pressuring me to go off-roading!  It's really not my thing .. you know .. the mud and all! *what WERE you THINKING?!?!*  It sure was nice being able to get a few hugs this and last month!  Kishia is really nice, and I still don't quite get why she was reluctant to meet me! *rolls eyes*  You two be good, and hopefully we'll see each other again in the winter, here that is!  Thanks for helping out when you could with the Anniversary Son, I appreciated it so much.  Also, I think your Aunties were glad you made yourself available to visit while they were there.  HUGS to you, Baby! ~ MOM  ps .. the Army Formal picture was great!

  Dear Mom and Dad, this trip back to the Islands was really all about you two.  Dad, thanks for the cabin vacation, it was going so good till they gave us so much grief at checkout time!  The cabin was so perfect overall, (well, minus the ants ... ask George).  Mom, thanks for so much love and labor over feeding us!!   You might get older, but your cooking is ALWAYS the best!  I know I speak forall your children, we LOVED that it meant so much to you to have us together.  It meant a lot to each of us to see you both so happy and excited about the celebration.  As last minute as it was, what we finished of the scrapbook was awesome, and I know you're aware there's more to come.  The slideshow was also a last minute throw-together, and I hope to get a revised one done with tons more photographs!  It's actually been very fun putting it all together.  Mom and Dad ... Happy 50th Golden Anniversary, and it's my prayers that there are yet many more anniversaries to be celebrated together!  To you Both, I raise my glass:  Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!  Lovingly, Third Oldest Daughter

TO ALL MY SISTERS and BROTHER:  OH what a joy it was to be able to hug you each again!  The many nights we stayed up late to share memories ... cokes ... wine ... beer ... jokes ... gas!  How exasperating it was for me to be working on the slideshow while you all gossiped without me!!!  Right!  Oh, the island food was all so good ... crashing waves and the salty air ... the malasadas ... Zippy's ... mele macs ... the sunsets and sunrises ... the pick on "so and so" days... I loved it ALL. 

Dear Big Sister ~ Your thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me.   You are in a true sense, our BIG SISTER!  You think of everything, right down to the dirty dishes and linen!  Your ideas for a collage and scrapbook were priceless ... I know mom and dad love them BOTH!  I cannot thank you enough for supplying us with that wonderful disk of pictures that so many of us used for our scrapbook pages, and filled so many slides in the slideshow!!!  I say this all the time, but it bares repeating ... You are a WONDERFUL big sis!

Dear Second Big Sis ~ You know, I missed you so much!  (HI there NEPHEW!!!) All those times we would go to rubberstamping expos .. and share excitement for new stamp sets or cards we slaved over!  Thanks so much for sharing all your FANTASTIC, to DIE FOR papers for our Scrapbooking, and for making those BEAUTIFUL invitations!!!   While we were making long distance arrangements, I had sooooooooooooo many outgoing calls to you on my phone ... hahaha, never before have we taken our phone plans to the limit (well, ok, maybe YOU have) You have a knack for really getting fired up about plans ... the enthusiasm necessary to carry out such a last minute plan.  THANKS so much for being our POC ... you are amazing!  Love and Miss you ~ Little Sister 

Dear Little Sister ... WOW ... you and Big Sister started this all for me ... you and your plans to go back to the islands ... everything after that sort of flew by like a whirlwind!  You put the excitement in the word "lets PARTY" ... your zeal in every idea was like  fireworks!  Your creativity with the collage, and your unfailing determination to get the scrapbook pieced together was a true blessing with outstanding results!!!  We had our own personal photographer (and paparazzi) .. what more could we ask for!!!  I missed you so much all these years, your humour and sarcasm were even welcomed!!! 

Dear Little Brother ~ thanks for everything!  It was nice to see the kolohe kids again too ...you don't know how much I've missed them.  It has been so neat discovering our need for little brothers!  I am so happy you had a chance to spend more than a weekend with us!     And, no worries about "da ants" ... dey stay clean!  Sorry, that was so funny!  This was the first time in a long time that we could all actually sit down and share memories with our little brother ... as much as this was about Mom and Dad, it was fantastic for us siblings also!  Thanks for helping out with the screen for the slideshow, even if it worked out where we couldn't use it.  Thanks for helping out my son with his jeep ... you are always so busy for other people, I love that about you, but mostly I just love that you're my little brother!  Love, Love, Love, Your Big Sister

Dear Baby Sister ~ I pray ed for Koa.  I couldn't bring myself to ask again, but did and am so glad she is BACK home.  It was great to see you and the family again!  (Thanks Brother In Law for fitting me in for a color/cut!!!) Baby Sis, my biggest regret for this trip, was that I didn't hardly get much time with you!!!  As usual, you and hubby's cooking far exceeds our expectation for island favorites!  Thank you Cin, for taking the time out of your schedule to be with us Aunties!!! We enjoyed yours and Travs' company very much!   J,  you're just the same, but older and taller!!!  I didn't realize it till we moved, how much I enjoyed you hanging out with the boys.  Tone, YAY ... was happy we got to see you so much also!!!  Be kind to your brothers and sister ... they're all you got!  CATman ... I MISS YOU and your HUGS!!!  I will try to get more postcards to you each time I travel.