MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hi everyone! We apologize for not updating the blog sooner. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to the New Year. We had a great time in Hawaii. We felt really lucky to even catch our plane in Anchorage because the day we were supposed to leave Stebbins it was snowing and blowing and the visibility was not stellar. A large storm blew into the area and most villages were not able to have planes land. Our pilot was incredible. He landed to get a group to fly to Unalakleet, and was supposed to come back and get us, but was wary because it had been difficult to land the first time. However, he did come back for us--landed and got us safely to Nome. I have SO MUCH respect for these bush pilots--and Hageland (the company that we use to fly out of Stebbins) is truly the best. They were the only company still flying that day. Our pilot actually went back to Stebbins and got a second group after us. Needless to say, we all had a new hero. Everyone made their connections and had relaxing holidays! Below are some pictures from our Hawaii vacation.

Hawaii's roads are lined with gorgeous flowers. Even in the dryer areas, there are flowers everywhere.
This is just one of the beaches we stopped at. Most of the beaches are rocky, as you can see below.
Below was one of the most breathtaking areas we went to. It is the farthest North you can go. There is a lookout and a trail down to the beach.

Next, we went to Volcanoes National Park. It reminded us a lot of Yellowstone. You can see below that Nick is trying to get a free facial.

The Crater in Volcanoes National Park. We kept joking that it looked like Mordor from Lord of the Rings.

One of our favorite parts were all the sea turtles. We got to snorkel and scuba and just see them on the beaches.
Luau time. It was the first time that it started to sprinkle just a little, but the skies never opened up. Apparently this area in Kona gets very little rain.

Also, there are Gecko's climbing everywhere--even in our Condo we saw one on the wall. This one was licking a Cherry that was left out for him.

Our favorite tree--the most beautiful flowers. It doesn't even look real.
And, last but not least--the best part of being in Hawaii was seeing friends. We met up with Brian and Amalia, their friends Krista and Greg, and Sarah and her new baby Finn--it was easily the highlight to see familiar faces.

We hope everyone is doing well--keep the emails coming!