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For the second portion of our trip, we took a short flight from Kona to Lihue on the island of Kauai. Known as the Garden Island, Kauai is the 4th most visited of the Hawaiian Islands, behind Oahu, Maui and Hawaii. However, you could say it “punches above its weight” when it comes to natural beauty and dramatic landscapes.
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Following the passing of Umeno Morita, Valerie’s Mom, the family began making plans for a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, Umeno’s birthplace, to scatter her ashes. That trip began on June 4, 2022, approximately one year after her passing. We flew into Kona, HI, and stayed in Fairway Villas by Outrigger in Waikoloa.
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Once we learned that Chrissy and Johnny were expecting a baby in early May, Valerie very much wanted to be on-hand for the birth and to help out with the newborn. Therefore, we decided to end our time in Maryland and return to California. In addition, since Chrissy and Johnny were planning to look for a larger place to live and wanted to relocated to San Diego, we collectively decided to look for a house that would accommodate everybody.
We found a place that suited our requirements and Chrissy and Johnny moved into it at the end of February. So, in early March, we packed up our apartment and had everything stuffed into two U-Haul moving containers that would be shipped for us to San Diego. We celebrated Valerie’s birthday on the 11th and stayed with Cyndie and Ming for a few days before starting our car trip across country on March 17th.
Along the way, we stopped off to visit my sister Sheila and her family in Tennessee, then on to San Antonio where we spent a few days with Ralph and Carlie.
On March 30th we completed the drive to our new home and began unloading the containers.
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What do you do when winter tightens its icy grip? Time to visit California.
On Feb 8, we flew to LA to enjoy a few days with Steve and Wende as well as Valerie’s family. Up first on the 12th was a baby shower for Chrissy. Valerie’s sisters also made the trip from Maryland for the shower. Continue reading
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The first month of the new year was largely uneventful for us. It was mostly about adjusting to the winter weather. On New Year’s Day, Chrissy & Johnny were finishing their visit to Maryland for the holidays.
On the second day of the month, we got a modest snowfall. Plus the weather turned colder over the next couple of weeks, adding a layer of ice to the nearby lake. The ducks had to work to keep a small area open.
On the final day of the month, Ming’s mom prepared a beautiful and delicious Chinese meal for the family to share.
Second Act 