More winter happiness

So, sooo much more to celebrate and enjoy this month!

Photo Credit: http://www.southkohala.com

• Snow capped Mauna Kea is incredible right now! That's the most snow I've seen covering the volcano in all the years I've lived here. We went to play in the last heavy snowfall a few years ago, so we're hoping to hit the slopes this weekend if/when they reopen the access road! 
• There are few things Ryan and his peers love more at school than Winter Crafts day, as the teachers always do an incredible job of coming up with creative craft options). This year his two selections were:

Christmas string art, and...

A shiny 'unicornament'!

• And thanks to our uber crafty neighbor Joanna, we were able to grant him and his friends a bonus craft session of Ugly Christmas Sweater Ornament making the very next day!

• Though I'm sure you're tired of reading about our lanai, we're still euphoric about it. It's been 4.5 years of basically non-usable space (too hot, too wet, too damaged), so to have it be done still feels very unbelievable. Not a day has gone by that I haven't stood out there and gazed at the view and marveled at the project's completion. Even better, the contractor who did it for us (and who has become 'family' to us), came by yesterday to visit, so we got to chat with him on the lanai and show him the final product.

• And last but not least...the holiday revelry led to a few fun pictures I wasn't anticipating! On Friday night we met our friend's Mike and Yuri for a delectable dinner, followed by a run in with this guy!

• And then on Saturday, we went to our friend's Kerry (my sister wife) & Sid's house for a nice holiday lunch, then got to tour their protea farm. I learned so much, and got to walk the grounds of their beautiful mountainous property with Rich and Ryan. So much unexpected, simple beauty, and such vibrant color. Of course I left wishing I lived at an elevation more hospitable to protea, but I'm content just knowing where I can find a few. ;-)

The pin cushion variety was in great abundance in red, orange and yellow, in all stages of bloom.

Mere babes still forming

 

I've never picked yellow as my favorite anything...but for some reason, these were my favorite hue.

The Queen

Behold, the King! Another favorite.

Hard to tell from this picture, but the protea cover the mountain as far as you can see.

• Just hours after leaving Kerry's, Rich is now feasting at his work Christmas dinner party, which I opted out of as I'm not exactly a seafood/prime rib kinda girl, and I have a 9-year old who would only eat like, ten Maui Style potato chips (for which we would pay dearly). But tomorrow (Sunday) is a brief hiatus from the feasting, as we have Christmas lunch/dinner plans with family on Monday, and I have a dinner with a few visiting friends on Tuesday. (So expect to see us a on juice cleanse for a few days to make up for our gluttony, or trying to catch the flu.)