Friends

I'm lucky I have some really great, caring, there for you in good times and bad, friends.
I've been wanting to write about two in particular who recently visited us from the East Coast.
Mike and Soozie.
Here they are:


Don't they look happy? They just mastered the stand up paddle board
And
They're in Hawaii, who wouldn't be happy?


Back to the friend part. These are real , in the realest sense of real, friends.
They were our neighbors in Maryland in the first house my husband and I bought together.
Mike photographed our wedding.
After I had the boy and the girl I came home to balloons and a home cooked meal courtesy of Mike and Soozie.
They treat my kids like they are their kids.
When the boy was little his favorite activity was going over to Mike's pond with earth worms to feed his Koi .
He would just walk into their backyard like it was his own and it was no problem for Mike and Soozie.
We use to share Christmas Eve cocktails late at night and when they smelled the garlic wafitng from my kitchen they knew it was an invitation to dinner.
And now it gets really serious....
Mike and his daughter drove our U-Haul van across the country from Maryland to California.
Yes you read that right DROVE A U_HAUL VAN ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!!
That was a serious lapse in judgement on Mike's part but we LOVE HIM for it.
They photographed our older daughters wedding, beautiful , beautiful pictures with a personal touch that can only be added by someone who knows the people getting married.
When I told Mike that my kids were going to the Lego Robotics World Festival, he called and volunteered to be a photographer.
I was at the festival taking pictures and someone said, "shouldn't you let a professional take that picture?"
I turned around and there was Mike , surprising us .
In the closing ceremonies for the festival the boy and the girl's face were plastered up on the jumbotron for all to see, because Mike was one of the official photographers.
When I called to tell them about the surprise birthday party I was having for the hubs, they said, "we'll be there."
Get this, they flew from Maryland to Hawaii for the WEEKEND to be at that party.
They like to do stuff like that,
incredibly kind things because in this day and age it's shocking, to find such kindness.
Today when so many people don't even know their neighbors, we were so lucky to end up next door to Mike and Soozie.
Mike and Soozie you're the best, we love you and treasure your friendship all these years.
And now some pictures from their visit:

shave ice of course!!!!

He's got wasabi coming out of his ears, lots of ahi sashimi was consumed.



Sunset beach warning signs. In the winter this is where the 20 foot + waves can be found. In the summer it's glassy



No trip to the North Shore is complete without a trip to Ted's bakery



Honu basking in the sun, bliss.