Happy New Year 2018!

After ringing in the New Year we got up the next day and continued to make the most of our time in Kauai. The boys had never been on a whale watching trip so we deciding to make it happen. Tutu's stayed behind for this trip because Grandma Tutu tends to get sick on small boats. Aunt Natalee and Uncle Toby joined us for the day. We started our excursion with a stop at the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge. The town of Hanapepe is incredibly small and most everything was closed because it was the holiday. We spent some time crossing over the swinging bridge and sharing our fear, terror, laughs and excitement along the way. 

Before boarding our boat we stopped for lunch at a little pub right near the docks. It was a dive but at least we were able to eat lunch before getting onboard. We spent a couple of hours out on the boat and have a dozen or more whale sightings. We saw lots of blow holes spouting water, massive tails slapping the water and even a handful of breaches. The boys just loved being on the boat and having the wind in their faces as we cruised the ocean waves. We were even lucky enough to see a giant sea turtle swimming too. I would say it was a pretty successful trip. 

That evening we all went to a favorite local hamburger joint, Bubba's, for some burgers, chili and shakes. I am a pretty picky about hamburgers but I admit that these were quite delicious. We ended the long day with a game of Ticket to Ride. Yes, we took that game all the way to Hawaii to play it. It's a game that we've played with Aunt Natalee over the last nine years. It's always a stressful, competitive and fun time. 

 The boys were obsessed with trying to catch animals on this trip. They caught all kinds of bugs, lizards, cats and I think Lincoln even caught a baby chicken. 

 A guitar/ukulele in the car on the way to the bridge and docks. 

 This was our boat. 

 The boys playing football outside our room before dinner. 

 This was Ricky's chili burger. 

Ticket to Ride