The Many Adventures of the Couch Clan!

We love coming to Hawaii! There is something that just makes it feel like home every time we come! This time my Aunt Jerrella and Uncle John came with us for a visit! It was fun! Eric and I had our own villa this time. Usually we share one with my parents, and Christi, David, and Mike all have thier own place, BUT this time we got to be JUST US and the kids! It was fun! The place we were in is bigger than our house, so it was AWESOME! We all rented cars so that we could do our own thing, and it was funny because we all ended up with the exact car in red! (Whenever we caravaned, we looked like the mob in red). We went to one of our favorite restaurants at the Four Seasons for my brother's birthday! It was great! We LOVE eating and watching the sun go sown over the ocean! Christi, David, and Mike all dived, but Eric and I decided to just hang with the kids this year. Diving is my favorite thing to do there (other than laying out!). We went to the Waikoloa Hilton and played in the pool and on the water slides! We love hanging out there!

The night we got there, Christi and David received a call from the girl that was house sitting and said that their upstairs bathroom was flooding and there was also water downstairs. That was a bit of a bummer especially since the week before the bathrooms on the other side of their house had flooded and messed up the wood floors downstairs... But, I am glad that they had someone staying in their house so that the leak could be stopped and no more damage was caused.

Eric, Mike, and my dad all played golf twice. The courses there are spectacular! Some of the holes overlook the ocean! I didn't play this year because I am terrible, so Evan, Emily, and I all went to the beach! We had fun "punching" the waves, digging in the sand, searching for sharks (thank goodness we didn't find any!), and looking for seashells! The only downfall was when we were showering the sand off, and somehow a bee found my foot, and stung the crud out of it! It made my whole leg numb, but luckily no swelling!

We mainly just hung out! My mom started feeling bad on Saturday when they took my aunt and uncle to see the volcano. But, she was a sport and continued doing whatever we all did! Eric and I had a date night one night, and went to the KPC restaurant and watched the sunset, and then laid in a hammock on the beach and watched the stars come out! It was fun! We forgot to give my parents the key to our place, so the kids ended up falling asleep in their bed. Luckily we were neighbors, so it was an easy walk to put them in bed!

As the week progressed my mom's sickness started getting really bad, and sores started appearing inside her eyelid, and then on the outside of her face. Every day she got worse, and we were starting to get very worried. My dad started trying to find an "in network" doctor on the Big Island, but there weren't any, so she kept hanging in there. Then once the pain was getting to be even worse and the thought of having to fly back on a plane seemed dangerous, they started calling their docotrs here. No one could really diagnose anything. At first it was a reaction to meds, then they thought maybe a food reaction, and then the latest was shingles.

The flight home was rough for her. Luckily they had plenty of room in their seats, and were close to the kitchen so that my mom could keep ice on her face, but it was obvious that she was in alot of pain. (She said that I can't post any pictures -- obviously!) By the time we landed in Dallas, her entire left side of her face was completely swollen. Her eye was shut and she said that her other eye was starting to swell as well. That was the last time I spoke with her. Now, my dad says that she has a hard time talking and isn't taking calls at all. Christi and Dave are going over there to check on them later this afternoon.

The kids were perfect on the flight home. Emily slept most of it. Evan watched video games and movies. We landed at 6am, but body time it was 1am. We got home and settled, but made an appointment for Eric to see his Chiropractor because he couldn't walk or do anything due to the amount of pain he was in. (I think that he threw his back out playing golf adn swimming with the kids). He was at the doctors office for almost 5 hours and then the doc brought him home. He is still not very mobile, but the pain is fine as long as he doesn't stand, walk, or move. I have enjoyed having him home anyways. I am just glad that his back is going to get better eventually!

Well, I will update you on my mom as I find things out myself. We are all trying to just leave her alone and let her heal. Please be in prayer over her and Eric adn my dad.
(Christi is having a ton of issues that they are having to slove as well, so pray over everyone!)