Isaac's Here!














Isaac's spring break is off to a good start. Let's see...we began the day with a stop at Starbucks (strawberry creme), a trip to Safeway to buy whatever his heart desired, a nice sunny afternoon boogie boarding at the beach, his own snorkel set for the week (even an optical mask) and a little pool time with his cousin and uncle. Is this paradise or what?! 

Sunny Side Up...














Yep, that's the boys, showin' off in the pool... 

Art Maui...



















Joe and I took a field trip to Art Maui (sorry, Kathy, Max and Jenny!) and saw some interesting artwork. Here's Joe next to his favorite piece--it is entirely made of banana leaves! 

Heading Out...













Here's Jenny, heading out with the Wailea Canoe Club (she's the farthest on the left). Woo-hoo, who wouldn't want to paddle nonstop for 60 minutes or so?!? (I know, I know, but they just didn't have room for the rest of us, so we insisted Jenny leave us behind...) Sushi, anyone? 

This One's For Amy...













Hey, Amy! See all these great-looking people wearing Kialoa shirts!?! I bet THEY don't shop at Wal-Mart... 

Surfing Lessons...













"Professor" Jeff has his work cut out for him with this crowd... 

Surfing Lessons...













Look! Kathy's stylin' without even standing up! 

Surfing Lessons...













Jenny shows her Surfing Diva side... 

Surfing Lessons...













Max and Jenny, working up the umph to paddle out AGAIN... 

Date Night...



















We managed to ditch the rest of 'em and go out to dinner at PacificO's, a fabulous restaurant that Jeff's former co-workers gave him a gift certificate to, as a going-away present. It was delicious. Very. (Everyone else went to a luau, so they had a great time, too--don't you worry about them!) 

Flat Blake Goes Boogie Boarding...



















Oh, just goofing around with Flat Blake (yes, that's like Flat Stanley--see below). Hahaha! 

Ocean's Power...














This is one of my favorite places on earth! The ocean has cut a narrow channel about 100 yards into the lava flow and the ocean surges in, sprays up, then pulls out. It is amazing to see (unfortunately I only got a little chunk of it in the lower right corner of the picture). Guess you'll just have to come to Maui and see for yourself! 

Dragon's Teeth...














Here we are at a neat place in Kapalua where the lava flow has partially eroded and bleached so that it looks kind of like dragon's teeth...of course you could see it better if these silly tourists weren't in the way! 

Oops!













?! How did this picture get in here ?! 

Flat Blake Does Maui...














Joe took Flat Blake with him on the trek to the Blowhole on the northwest Maui coast. Looks like he's havin' fun, yeah? (You may be more familiar with Flat Stanley, a series of books written by Jeff Brown.) 

Sitting Pretty with Pineapples...














Jenny and Kathy strike a pose with some itty-bitty baby pineapples (who knew they grew on bushes?)! 

Under the Banyan Tree...














Here's the happy crowd under one branch of the incredible banyan tree in Lahaina. 

Mermaids...














Beach boogie boarding is SO MUCH FUN! Wheeeeeeeee! 

The FUN Has Arrived...













Aunt Jenny's here! Aunt Jenny's here! Let's get the party started! 

The Junction City Graves...













Kathy and Max (and Jeff and Joe) are all smiles as another great Maui vacation begins... 

One More Day!

Kathy, Max and Jenny arrive Sunday--and that crazy ol' Graves chaos begins! Yahoo! (Don't tell anyone, but I've kind of missed it...) Stay tuned to watch the adventure unfold...

All Dones...














We shared a wonderful evening with Elyssa, Dominic and Amelia Done -- Dominic is the pastor of our church and Elyssa is my Bible study group leader. Their ministry has had a strong impact on our lives--and it was a blessing to show our appreciation with a little mac-nut crusted mahi mahi and yummy mango ice cream. Aloha ke akua!

Koinonia Friends...













We were so blessed to have a visit from Ed and Myrna Hewitt, from our Koinonia family back home in Washington. They were celebrating their 50th anniversary with a vacation in Paradise and joined us for church and then treated us to a fabulous meal in Lahaina. They shared wonderful stories about their adventures traveling and raising three boys--these two know how to LIVE! (Thank you, Ed and Myrna!) 

Jeweler Joe...













Joe made the beautiful necklace Cappie is wearing, as well as a really cool keychain for his dad. Oh, hey! You can read about it on HIS blog! Go there now! 

Gallery Kanani...













Mom and I took an art class one day and made these lovely masterpieces. Jeff said now we can say that our work has been shown on Maui. (And what lovely work it is, yeah?) Good or bad, it's always fun to make art with my mom... 

Cap'n Joe...













Joe wrote and presented a report on Captain James Cook, the English seafarer who "discovered" Hawaii (which makes us big fans) and also did some exploring up around our usual stomping grounds, Washington State, way back in the 1770s. Check Joe's blog to see the Powerpoint presentation he did...or he'll make you walk the plank!