Yesterday the guys (except for Danny, he wasn't feeling well) went on a bike ride (it's tradition for them to go on crazy mountain bike rides on vacation haha), so everyone else went to a couple nearby towns to go shopping. We actually went back to this shop by that restaurant we ate at where all the kitties were..there was a kitty sleeping in the shop that let me pet him and he purred hehe aww. He was definitely not feral..the shopowner said he thought someone just left him there..ugh it breaks my heart when people do that. The guys were back from their ride when we got back..they said they hated it..too much uphill, no good views, and Jack fell and scraped up his arm. We had a great time visiting when we all met up again though, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard haha. At least two people walked by and were like "you are such a fun family!" Then we had dinner while watching the sunset and went back to our rooms to relax

Today my parents got up early to go snorkeling (they kinda tried to wake me up but I was too sleepy lol). After I got up I went with Susan, Patty and Carl to these shops where Susan bought these $200 sandals. That store was crazy..they had flip flops with shiny designs on them that were over $200. D: Nooo thanks lol. After a couple hours there we met up with everyone again by the pool. There were these cute little birds that ate right out of my hand! Susan, Carl, Danny and Patty went to go shopping at Kona, and me, my parents and Jack went up to Mauna Kea (13,796 feet) to see the sunset and the stars (mom luckily got a Jeep with 4 wheel drive, otherwise we couldn't have gotten up there). Mom and Ryan and I went up there last time we were in Hawaii, and I was wanting to go back. Luckily Jack wanted to anyway, so that was cool. It's like another world up there. It was super windy and freezing! I made the mistake of running to take a quick pic and running back to the car..it was hard to breathe! You feel a little weird up there haha. The sunset was nice, but the bright almost full moon washed out a lot of the stars..ah well, you could still see Orion and Jupiter and stuff. Last time I saw the glow from Kilauea, not this time though. I'm glad I got to go back up there though. After stopping at the visitor center we drove back to the hotel..now I'm going to bed :P

I am in Hawaii! The redeye flight to Seattle was faster than normal (the pilot was proud of that I think lol)..we got there at like 4 or 5 AM..ugh, being awake that early is the worst. D: We had breakfast and hung around for a few hours till our next flight left. The plane was too heavy and they were begging for volunteers to go on a later flight (as far as I know, only one person volunteered and they needed 8 altogether). Later we learned they had moved some luggage to a different flight..luckily ours came, but jeez, they should tell you that BEFORE you even take off!! There was a lady traveling with her cat, which I had to say hi to hehe. That flight must have been one of the LONGEST I've ever been on..it felt never ending!! When I'd already watched a movie and thought we'd been in the air 2-3 hours I asked a flight attendant how much longer we had..she was like "a long time still, 3 or 4 more hours!" Ughhh. I watched He Named Me Malala..she is so amazing..she said she has no ounce of hatred for the Taliban that shot her..wow. She seems funny and has a great relationship with her family. I also watched Inside Out..it started out funny and seemed interesting, but then it just got weird lol. It kinda weirded me out how Riley looked so much like me haha. I probably could have watched another movie too, but I was too tired and wanted to save some for the trip back. Mom and I were so happy when they announced they were serving Mai Tais haha..I'd never had one before, it was pretty good! The line for the bathroom was pretty crazy too..everyone seemed to get up at once and we were always having to squeeze past everyone..a flight attendant said the "waste" was full before we landed..wow lol. I was so happy to finally land in Kona..phew! It was kinda weird seeing family I hadn't seen in ages..Susan, Carl, Jack, Patty and Danny are here so far. Carl's hair is longer than mine, and with his beard he looks so much like dad! After we got settled I had to take a nap and now we're just relaxing. It is SUPER windy here today..makes for good white noise though. Now time to find a Jacuzzi and then bed! I wonder what we're gonna do tomorrow..