We are moving

This will be our new home for five years. I guess it's okay.

So adios to my beautiful cacti:

And Aloha to Honolulu.

The reason for this unexpected but exciting change? Boe is starting a project somewhere in/around Honolulu at the end of August that requires a move on our part. Unfortunately, I attend a silly graduate school that requires me to stay in Arizona. Thus Kenzie and I invite you to a pity party we will be hosting for the next four months until December when our family reunites in Honolulu. We are actually excited to spend some time with Kenz's aunt, uncle and cousins while Boe is away...Kenz will have a dog to bother/torture and all the cheetohs, chocolate milk and princess movies her little heart desires.

Did you know they have castles in Coronado? We were lucky enough to spend some at this one. Some of the festivities included long-boarding (I showed up Boe in this sport), kayaking, speed-boating on the Casino Royale boat, dolphin-watching, inflatable ball olympics, and enjoying some local Mexican shrimp burritos. A funny story: One of the boats docked next to the castle had a nest of some endangered bird on the top of its mast. The government won't allow the owner to move the boat until the bird leaves. Two years and many bird droppings later, the bird has decided the life of luxury on Coronado Island is quite appealing and is subsequently taking advantage of the no-eviction perk of being endangered.
Can you see the seals that were striking a pose for the camera?
In one twist of fate during our Casino Royale boat ride, a life-jacket (unattached to anyone in the boat) flew overboard. We quickly turned to retrieve the jacket when no more than five feet from the vest was a pod of dolphins. Boe's brother wanted to create a magical moment and swim with the dolphins, so he quickly jumped in, nearly missed landing on one! In my heart I like to think that the dolphins were coming to save the person (if there had been one) in the life-jacket...why else would they have surfaced at this exact moment around this exact object?

Two powerhouses four-wheeled it up Powerhouse Mountain.

Picking wildflowers in the Idaho mountains.

Something more spectacular than sparklers was happening in the sky.

Kenz getting friendly with a dog at the fair.