The final wintry days of December

After visiting our friend's protea farm on the 23rd,  I didn't expect to see any more Big Island beauty anytime soon. But later that same day, the access road finally opened! So the very next day on Christmas Eve, we packed up some spam musubi, our thickest winter wear, shovels and some boogie boards, and headed up to Mauna Kea with my parents and the three boys!

I know this was my third trip up to the mountain since moving back nine years ago, but like glowing lava flows...it never, ever gets old.

It still stood out as a special trip for a variety of reasons:

1. We made shaved ice (we don't call them 'snow cones' here) for the first time. (And totally forgot to make a snowman!)
2.  For the first time ever, while the boys went 'sledding' on their boards, my dad and I filled his truck bed with snow to take back down the mountain to my nieces, who were too young/sick to make the trip themselves. It took us twice as long as you'd think, because it was easy to feel light headed/sick.
3. Even though we were proudly rocking slightly warmer wear than usual (as we're gearing up for Hokkaido's sub-freezing daily temps), it was the warmest snow day we've ever experienced! I ended up shedding a lot of my gear at the visitor center, since it was about 65 degrees. At the top, even with windchill, I wouldn't think it was colder than 55-58? This made it quite pleasant for us, but at that rate, the snow will melt fast and we'll lose our free air conditioning!

There was only one downside- both my mom and Riki both succumbed to a combination of motion and altitude sickness and were quarantined in the truck while everyone either went sledding or shoveling. There was also a total nut job overtaking each snow-filled truck, neatly lined up and safely driving down in 1st gear on a double line around blind curves, but once our shock wore off, we wished nothing but the best for him.*

*The best thing for him being to roll down a steep embankment and burst into flames. ;-) 

The view of Mauna Loa while standing atop Mauna Kea.

I was so excited to bust out my stash of shaved ice syrup, cones and straws! Ryan was mortified. ("Mommy! People are going to see us eating free snow and think we're homeless!")

Love being above the clouds...even if it does shortness of breath, light headedness and nausea! ;-)

Riki in a rare nausea-free moment

It snowed at our niece's house!

Christmas day was much like the last four we've celebrated in our home- Ryan opened gifts, then we headed over to my parent's for Christmas lunch and gifts (mostly the kids, adults pull names for a Secret Santa) before coming back home to set this up for Ryan.

A few generous relatives helped chip in to get him this virtual reality headset. His cousins have it in Japan, so one of them was able to help him get oriented to it (unfortunately, the one who suffers from severe motion sickness, and who succumbed to it shortly after...a second day in a row). ;-)

His other gifts were the things I'd imagine most 9-year old dream of- a pair of Heely's, a board game he coveted at a friend's house, a magic set, a few books, a pop socket, speakers and gift cards to get a new cell phone case... And thanks to many loving friends/relatives, he got them.

I didn't ask for much from Rich this year- a set of bowls from Costco, and a trip to the new luxury-movie theater out in Waikoloa. A few friends got me some always-desirable run gear, and I also not-so-secretly wanted this, and got it from a friend...

Himalayan salt lamp

Though I doubt it's claim to 'purify' the air surrounding it, I wanted it because of it's soothing, warm, pink glow at night. I am sure I'll have to battle Ryan for the right to put in our room for awhile, but I can wait. ;-)

Hoping you all enjoyed a warm day filled with love from family, friends and warm, furry animals.