Day 6: Hawaii-Snorkeling!!

We agreed unanimously that today was the most fun of all of the days....snorkeling...

Got up at 6am, & arrived at the Snorkel place a little after 8am. Got all our gear fitted properly, & got in the mini-yacht--all 18 of us, plus 6 crew members. Every single one of us went snorkeling, some for shorter, but most of us for longer. Those of us that were nervous about it (not me), got over our fears, & had a lot of fun.

Our first stop, was one of the dolphin's favorite swimming spots. The water was a clear blue, & if you looked hard, you could see the ocean floor way below you. The dolphins were so much fun, they'd pop up all of a sudden---at least a few dozen of them, including moms & babies--& jump up & down...it was SO precious!!!

Our second stop was at a coral reef. There wasn't much activity in the water, but we did get to take turns holding a live Sea Urchin (after it gets settled on your hand, it'll start moving around...kinda tickles!!). I saw some eels (which I stayed away from), & Jeff (the owner) gave me some Sea Urchin skeletons he found at the bottom.

I actually remember thinking "maybe I should quit midwifery, & take up marine biology"!!! So I suppose that joins my 'dream list' that includes becoming a pilot, an EMS, a policeman, a soldier, etc. LOL (I know, you're probably thinking "Sarah!! You, a policeman????") Oh well, what can I say!!!

Who knows, maybe I'll be able to get my EMT & Pilot's license...you know that being a Pilot runs in my blood!!! My grampaw was a pilot in AK for ages, & my uncles got their licenses. My dad helped fly too....If only it wasn't for my ears...but who knows! LOL

Unfortunately, we didn't snap hardly any pictures, but I'll share a couple good ones. The Crew did take a video of the whole event, which we ordered...that has some fantastic footage....

Day 5: Hawaii-Swam & Burned

Today, we swam & burned...lots of fun actually!!!
Lindsey, Rachel, & I had a bunch of fun goofing off in the pool, trying not to get our hair wet, but of course, that didn't go very far.... :D

Tonight, was the 'big' LPL function.  (In my opinion, it was not as well done as in past years, but then the economy has been sluggish...) They brought in 'Chris Isaac's' live, which is not the kind of music we listen to, & unfortunately, it was RIGHT outside our window!!

Overall, today was a good day, & relaxing for the most part.... No more crias yet!

Here are some pictures, I thought you'd enjoy: David & Daniel took them over the past few days:

One of the boys' favorite things to do, is to go gecko hunting. One time, they were gecko hunting, & the gecko crawled up on Daniel's Canon, so David grabbed his Canon, & snapped a photo of him!! Dy'a see his tongue sticking out??

Giant Sea Turtles napping on the beach

Day 4: Hawaii-Shopping & Golf

Today was the second & last day of the mens' sessions. Us older ones joined in for one of their sessions--absolutely inspirational!!! (Thus an inspirational speaker). ;D The speaker was Simon Sinek, author of 'Start with Why'.
Basically, he spoke about why leaders should start with why, instead of how or what, for their businesses, when they give speeches, etc. Did you know that the 'why' part of our brains (the innermost part) isn't the part with language (the how & what do have it), therefore, that is why when you ask someone 'why questions' (ie. Why do you love your wife/husband? Why do you do what you do? etc.) they won't be able to give you some specific answer instantly.

Take our first example "Why do you love your wife/husband?", they'll probably say something like: "Because they are smart, pretty, kind, loving, I need them, they complete me, etc." Isn't that interesting?

I'm not sure what his religious views are, & so (as with everything), please take his books with a grain of salt, & the Bible.

Papa & Daniel on the Golf Course

The older men went golfing (Uncle Ron, Nichol, Papa, & Daniel) with LPL, while all the rest of us went into Kona & had fun shopping at the outdoor mall. If any of you ever come to Kona, you NEED to shop there!!!! The prices are good, the shopping is fantastic, & well, you just have to go!!! LOL

This concludes Day 4.

Day 3: Hawaii-Relaxation & Excitement

Today was the beginning of the Financial Sessions, so our men were absent for part of the day. Us ladies pretty much hung out, & relaxed for most of the day. I blogged, caught up on some ranch stuff, & did cross stitch.

Big news for today.....KayCee had her cria around 6pm tonight!!!! We sold her 2 weeks ago, so they aren't actually ours, but who cares!!!! LOL

Grampaw & Oma (Papa's parents)

My Oma is my hero.....all day she kept going up to the barn, & checking on the expecting moms. She thought KayCee was acting kinda weird, & sure enough, after their dinner, they found an adorable, little fawn baby boy!!! Even Grampaw pitched in to help take care of him (I'm SO proud of him!)--getting dry, putting on his coat, weighing him, etc.

Tonight, we went to the 'Meeting of the Chiefs' Luau...basically a historical play-up on the known history of  Polynesia: Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, & New Zealand. We had a blast, & had pictures taken as well....didn't they turn out splendid????

Back Row: Luke (17), Daniel (20), Benjamin (20), Papa, U. Ron, Nichol (23), David (14)
Middle Row: Samuel (13), Sarah (17), Rachel (16), Mama, A. Trish,
Lindsey (17-Luke's twin), Britney (23-married to Nichol), Esther (10), Rebekah (11)
Front Row: Josiah (8), James (6)

Back Row: Daniel, Papa, David, Samuel
Front Row: Josiah, Rebekah, Rachel, Mama, James, Sarah & Esther

Mama & Papa

Day 2: Hawaii-Just Relaxing

Rachel woke up around 4 (7am PST), & got ready for the day... Overall, we had a wonderful & blissful night's sleep; getting up around 6am.

Photographing something interesting...
Samuel, David, Rachel, Esther, Rebekah, & Josiah

After Family Worship & Breakfast, we walked farther along the beach than we did yesterday, off the Hotel's property. We stayed out in the sun until past 12pm: some of the kids snorkeling, other playing in the ocean, pool, hot pool, etc.

Aren't they adorable??? (James' pose was an instant put-on, so cute!)

By 12pm, most of us were red...others (like me & Rebekah) were burnt to a crisp, & still others (like Josiah & Mama) had hardly been touched because of their marvelous tanning skin.... If I haven't told you this before, I tell you now: Aloe Vera Gel is one of my best friends...it turns red into brown, just like that!!!

Papa's Buddy

Rebekah (age 11)

Our natural photographer-David (14)

Pointing out Maui (a dark outline on the Horizon)

After relaxing in the room for a while, we went back out, & checked out the tennis courts. They're well-maintained, & we can't wait to try them out.

Relaxing at the Tennis Shop-watching National Geographic

At 5:15pm, we all headed down to the opening dinner/get together, in the main yard. It was low key, & the food was good: Chicken Caesar Salad, assortments of fish, veggies, & rice, & fried banana wraps/pastries for dessert. For music, they had some Hawaiian dancers--really fun...most of them were at least in their 20's, but there was this one kid (probably 14), that was doing it too....pretty cute...--& a soloist.

At 6, we changed into our tennis gear, & went down to the courts, where the guys played tennis, while us ladies sat on the sidelines & talked, & the kids played.....
Aloha!!

Day 1: Hawaii-Travel

I got 2 hours of sleep (woohoo!) last night, & then we got up at 2:30 am. That, is what I call the perfect setup. I do it every time we go to Hawaii, etc. That way, I sleep on the plane!!

Our plane left at 6:04 am. It was a mini 80 seater, that we had to load onto outside (not what I typically think of when we're flying to Seattle!!!) LOL

We then had an 1.5 hr. layover, with bagels/sandwiches serving as breakfast. After loading on the plane (a Boeing 737), they told us that there was a problem with some of the communication equipment (i.e. radios), & so there would be a delay. It turned out to be 1.5 hours. (though it seemed to whiz by), of which Daniel & I played Battleship (& I actually whipped him!!! Unheard of!!) :D

On a more personal note, thus far, my ears have been perfect. I used Affron (nasal spray) an hour before takeoff, & used some special ear seals that on a scale of 1-30 decibels, it cuts out 27 of them!! I got them specifically for swimming, but since they can be used for planes too, I thought I'd try them out!

On the flight to Seattle, I didn't feel any pressure change: none whatsoever. On the flight to Hawaii, I didn't really feel anything as well, though I did feel a difference when I thought I'd trying not having them in mid-flight. Once we landed in Kona, I had to be careful in taking them out, because they were sealed so good.

David took this video on his new hi-tech Canon Camera. It shows the last 3 minute descent into Kona: beautiful footage, & a glimpse into our flight. Unfortunately, he was situated behind the wing, so it cuts into it a little bit.

The Desert of Kona

Beautiful Shores!

Kona Out Door Airport!

Our Boeing 737 at Kona

Combined Pinkerton/Glendening Luggage (Daniel & Lindsey) 

Beautiful Japanese....um...Hawaiian Tree

Limo Ride! L-R: Luke, Rachel, Lindsey, Rebekah, Sarah, Josiah, Samuel,
Nichol, Britney, Esther, Papa, & James (the rest were shopping)

At the Fairmont Orchid Hotel
LtoR: David, Sarah, Papa, Josiah, Lindsey, Rachel,
Samuel, Rebekah, James,  Luke, Nichol,  Britney, & Esther

Looking out of the Boy's Room at the Mauna Lani North Golf Course

As you can see, Kona is desert & beauty, combined in one...

Tonight, we went onto the beach, & swam/waded in the ocean. They have a cove, that is so smooth, it feels like you're in a pool!

They also have a beautiful hot tub, made out of the rock, with a sand base in part of it, & a stone base in the rest....I totally thought of my Grampaw...he would of loved it...though it may have needed a little more heat in the evenings... :D

The wind got really bad, but it was wonderful, compared to the Idaho winds!! This wind is warm!! LOL
So far so good!! I love Hawaii!!

Off to Tahiti....I mean...Hawaii!!

Tomorrow morning, bright & early, we (our whole family of 11 PLUS my Aunt Trish's family) will be heading out of Spokane Airport for a 9 day business/pleasure trip to Kona, Hawaii!!

That means that we'll all either look like tomatoes or potatoes!!! Both ripe & ready to eat!! :D

Please pray for traveling mercies, & a good flight!! Also, some of us...aka Me (& Samuel) have problems with the air pressure, & could really use your prayers... I especially would really like to come out of there without having had to visit the hospital, stay in bed continuously, or with any less hearing than the already impaired one that I have!! LOL

Rebekah's Going to Nationals!!!

Yesterday, after 3 grueling hours of competition with 45 other spellers, Rebekah won the North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee, on the word 'bezoar', after spelling the word 'inselberg' correctly.

My dad wrote the following to his family:

Mom and Dad and our family spent yesterday morning at the local college for the annual state spelling bee.  Rebekah, our 11 year old 5th grader was competing against about 50 other spellers from around North Idaho, and the competition was stiff, as they set a new record in the amount of rounds they had to endure. 

Finally, in the 21st round, the final two were Rebekah and a 7th grade private school boy.   He misspelled "inselberg", and Rebekah couldn't remember if the correct spelling included "el" or "ol", so she told the Press in her interview that she prayed to God to help her, and the reporter said "then it must have worked, because you won!"  Now we have to decide who will be going back to Washington D.C. with her for the national competition at the end of May.  Rebekah probably worked harder than anyone else towards this goal, and typing 75 wpm has certainly helped her.

 Last week, the Coeur d'Alene Press interviewed both Rebekah & Esther. That article can be found here. (Esther did well for her first year out, but got out in the 4th round, on the word 'castanets'.)

This morning, the Cd'A Press came out with another article. We wish they would have included what Rebekah said about 'praying to God to help her', but they didn't...

The National Spelling Bee will be held May 29th-June 4th, in Washington DC.

I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

~ Jeremiah 17:10 ~

Happy Birthday Esther!!

Today, my baby sister....the littlest girl in the Pinkerton Tribe turned 10!!! How fast they do grow!!

It seems only yesterday, that Papa & Mama got home from having an ultrasound done to see why there was so much fluid in there! Of course, it was the last trimester, & so there was no getting around seeing the gender of the baby...

As a rule, our family has chosen to keep the gender a surprise until the birth, & so the technician wasn't going to tell them which it was...BUT, she slipped & said "she...." OOPS!

Also as a rule, we call all unknown babies "he" until we know the gender, as woman came from man, etc. etc. :D Unfortunately, Mama slipped, & said "she..." too!!! Then of course, came all of us kids asking, "It's a GIRL, isn't it!?!?! We know it's a girl!! YOU said SHE!!!"

Then came the time, that Esther was born early: our first water birth!! The birth was amazing (or so Mama says :D), but she felt cheated, since there was no 'ring of fire' as there usually is. LOL

Josiah & Esther (17 months apart)

I remember this birth especially (besides that it was my 2nd birth to participate in), because Papa had us all vote on what time she would be born. I guessed 4 am, & as she was born at 3:57am, I won!

And who could forget that it took almost a WEEK to find the 'perfect name' for Esther!! (That in itself, is amazing for us Pinkertons...)



Who IS Esther? Esther Elaine Pinkerton was born March 1st, 2001 at 3:57am. Her name means:

'Bright as a Star, with a Spirit of Humility'

Esther is vivacious, bubbly, & content. She loves caring for babies & little kids, & has a knack with them. Esther enjoys life, people, & helping Mommy. She loves cooking, handwork, cleaning, baking, & washing clothes. She also enjoys taking care of her alpacas, & halter training them.

Esther & Rebekah (16 mo. apart)

"Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right."

~ Proverbs 20:11 ~