I guess it's been awhile

 Aloha! If you still visit this page, I give you credit...as it's been a minute since I've last updated the masses on what's going on in our tiny corner of the planet. We are on month #13 of COVID-life...and you know...other than not being able to travel, life has mostly returned to normal:

• The tourists and traffic are back! (For the record, I'm grateful to return to 'normal.')
• Ry returned to full-time classes a few weeks ago, four days a week.
• Our entire family has been vaccinated/microchipped...only the children remain. ;-)
• I want to say nearly half the island has had at least one shot, which is awesome...such a relief to know we will not lose so many (like we did when COVID swept through the veterans home on the other side of the island). That was a tragedy.
• Ryan has resumed taiko practice, and started beach volleyball classes (very exciting for him, as he is getting coached by his longtime BFF and his dad).
• He also got straight As this last trimester! Very proud of him as his curriculum also got a bit tougher...
• My job has gotten challenging- we reopened three restaurants in Nov & Dec, and are getting ready to open up two more next month! 
• Once Ryan is vaccinated...we are thinking of taking our first trip this summer or fall! Not sure we have many options on location, as there are not of countries allowing the sickly Americans in right now... For practicalities sake, I'd say Canada or Japan is likely easiest?
• We are selling off our fourth and final condo. It's been a good run- 20 years of property management, but we are tired, and we are busy. It's been semi-lucrative, but it's time. Our plan going forward is still in in development, but it will not be boring.

So much to jump into...so I'll let pictures do most of the talking:

Hey! Which of these things is not like the other?! :-D They were short one to make more balanced pyramid...so mom forced her way in!

So glad K-town finally has it's first modern, updated kaiten sushi restaurant (order by screen, train brings your sushi out). We have done our duty by going with the nieces a few times, and Ry has gone with his friends 3-4 times as well.

Our longtime friends the Mayer's are back in town, and they took Ryan down to Green Sands Beach.

Uncle Joey surprised my parents and showed up again for their 50th anniversary! (He was also just here in October for my mom's 70th birthday.)

More beach time up north with the Mayers...while we slave away at work.

We had some decent snowfall atop Mauna Kea, so the three cousins headed up with friends...and were there past nightfall helping stranded motorists. ;-)

Doing our best to help support reopening restaurants...at Sam Choy's Kai Lanai.

Surprise bithday party for a very special lady in our lives...

Ry with a few of his besties at Kua Bay...

I had to work on Rich's birthday, so we celebrated with his improv group and the family a little early...and we might have geared the party toward the younger participants...as Rich did NOT request a candy-filled unicorn pinata for his 48th.

I had just started a meeting at work when I got my first dreaded call from school saying there'd been a bit of accident- Ryan fell backwards on his wrists/head in his Crossfit class. He said everything went white/fuzzy, and his wrists were shaking uncontrollably. I flew to school, gave him some ibuprofen/ice, made sure he didn't have a concussion, and yay. He's fine!

It's his last Easter before becoming a teen. Figured I wouldn't be able to gather him/his friends for any more egg-hunting or dyeing...so we went nuts one last time.

Stepping up their egg decorating game this year! 

Ping pong table...check.

Dartboard...check.

Tween to teen transition in progress...

He has beach volleyball only one day week (Mon), as he runs Tue/Th, and has karate Mon/Wed...but this may change, as he really likes beach volleyball a lot. More than free diving at this point (and whew, since volleyball is cheaper)! 

Ryan and his longtime friend partnering up on the court. Sei has been playing well over five years...Ryan for about five minutes. Ryan definitely has some catching up to do. ;-)

We have been very lucky to have celebrated so many birthdays lately!!! This one was a friend's birthday at Lava Lava, but we also had Rich's birthday, our friend's surprise party, Olivia turned 4, and Mika also celebrated her birthday last week. 

And next month, we have even more celebrating to do- Boys Day is the first week of May, Ryan turns 13 mid-month, and we celebrate anniversary #24 at the end of the month. 

How I will find the time to do this while we reopen two restaurants in a month remains a mystery, but we will figure it out!

So we have a slammin' busy month ahead, I'm already slightly panicked on how to make it all happen (gulp), but we will be just fine.