Mele Kalikimaka

Ten years ago the Smarts took the Hawaiian islands by storm.  We looked something like this:

Without wanting to rub in the fact that Sydney looks like Howard Stern and Shea wasn't looking his best, I'll just say we have all changed a bit.

It has always been mom's dream to take her whole family to Hawaii for Christmas.  I'm never one to get in the way of someone's dream so I (and the rest of the clan) obliged and the trip was planned.  My sisters posted ALL 589, 924 pictures we took on their blogs which can be found here and here.

Highlights include a Bacheloresque helicopter ride, playing football on the beach on Christmas day, seeing one of my childhood best friends who happened to be there with her family too, learning to paddle board, babies with beach bum, getting a tan, drinking enough POG juice to get canker sores, Grandma Phyl coming with us, and getting our daily fix of snow cones.

It was the perfect holiday and helped distract us from missing Keith.  Since the trip was our present (except for the grandkids...Grandma She She would NEVER miss an opportunity to spoil them) it was such a low key holiday.  I didn't miss opening presents or the traditional food.  I would go away every year...hint, hint.