Going Island Style

When my uncle Merle got married last year, he invited all of us to come and celebrate the occasion with him. Their exciting nuptials took place on the exotic Hawaiian island Honolulu. A lot of us weren't able to attend because of the travel expense, but Mom, Dad, Val, and Aunt Linda were able to make it. Since Grandma & Grandpa Ball were among those of us unable to attend, Mom & Dad decided to bring Hawaii to them! This year, for Grandma & Grandpa's 50th anniversary, Mom & Dad planned and executed a beautiful and fun Luau inspired by the sights, sounds and feel of Hawaii.

Mom planned a special silly time where she threw us into grass skirts made us publicly, well, humiliate ourselves. All is not lost however, since she was all for doing it herself also! We all got up in front of everyone and did our version of the hula dance and it turned out to be all sorts of fun. Dad played a fake ukelele while Mom, Linda, and Penny did the Hula. After their act it was time for Val, Holly and me to hula and do the Can-Can. Wow! Somehow every time we try that, someone kicks their leg the wrong way and we all end up kicking each other.

Mike did great providing sound and music for the whole presentation, fading out the music between each act like a pro. He also created a video the day before and DURING the luau that included older pictures of Grandma & Grandpa, recent photos of them and family, and pictures taken at the luau of all the fun and games. He was able to finish the video complete with music, pictures and video clips before the end of the event so that everyone could watch it before leaving. It was really a great tribute to Grandma & Grandpa.

I think we can all agree that the best part of the day was the irresistible feast planned by Mom and prepared by the Red Lion Inn. Absolutely delicious! Because Mom & Dad had rented a room for the night, we were able to swim, change clothes, eat, change back and then relax in the hot tub. Another special part of the event was that Steve and Annie were in town and took part in the festivities with us. What a great treat! I had so much fun catching up and hanging out with them.