It honestly was the most incredible time.  Just the two of us without a care in the world, hiking to breathtaking views, kayaking the turquoise waters, strolling the white sands and generally feeling on top of the world.

    On the 4th that year we toured Pearl Harbor and felt awfully patriotic.  After that we found our way to Turtle Bay and swam in the ocean, enjoyed free concerts on the lawn, ordered burgers and fries from the food carts and watched the fireworks.

   It was easily one of the best weeks of my entire life, and I can't wait to go back someday (hopefully!!) and take the kids along and watch them get to fall in love with the island as much or more as we did.


    At first it was just a little bit hard for me, thinking of the 4th of July this year and how I would most likely just spend it indoors nursing a newborn.  But it has turned out to be such a lovely day.  My mother-in-law took the girls to the parade and Randy worked and my mom took her parents up to Portland so William and I had a quiet morning at home.  Now we're grilling and lounging and we may go see the fireworks, or we may just stay home and watch a movie.  Who knows.

   This year's holiday stands in stark contrast to the celebrations of last year, with all of the activity and excitement and beauty of the island, as opposed to the quiet and calm of staying indoors at home.  But I have come to realize I love this very different 4th just as much.  I have my family around me, I have a sweet baby to snuggle whose head feels like velvet and smells like Heaven, and I have next year, or the year after that, or a whole lot of other years to go to parades and fireworks and BBQs and the lake.  I will NOT have countless years of baby-holding.



   And so this year, when I just assumed I would "miss out" on the 4th of July, I realized I really didn't miss out on anything after all.