Throwback Thursday....Hawaii 2007

A couple months ago I was looking for some pictures on Rob's computer and I came across an album called "Hawaii" and it was all pictures taken from the summer of 2007.  My parents and Kimmie came out after we were settled into our new house and we had an amazing vacation.  It was really our last carefree/easy vacation, because the following Spring, Ava was born.  Not that trips with kids aren't fun too, but we were truly worry free, enjoying life in the Aloha state.  It doesn't get much better than coming across pictures of my Dad.  I remember the vacation well, but these pictures pre-date my time of really putting much on Facebook and I didn't have this blog going yet.  I'm a lot better at organizing and keeping track of photos now than I was back in 2007!  Finding these pictures of his handsome face and seeing the smiles on all our faces is just amazing.  So so so so many amazing memories with this wonderful man.  I miss him so much each and every day, looking back on pictures like these I feel blessed to have had such an amazing Dad to spend the first 29 years of my life with.

Still sort of in shock that the Marine Corps base gave me a boating license having never used a boat before...and I hit the reef and my Mom stayed on the floor of the boat convinced we were floating out into the Pacific.  Good times!! :)

 Out at the sand bar

 Love

 He loved the beach so much, always a smile on his face!

 Pearl Harbor

 Checking out the USS Missouri

 I think it's funny how many pictures of Ducky was in this album....pre kids the dog was a lot higher up on the totem pole!

 I miss that gecko infested lanai, we always had such a beautiful sea breeze blowing through there.

 Dinner in Waikiki

 Luau time!

 Dad always loved toss games like they had there, whenever there was stuff like this on cruise ships he always played too.  And usually won, cause that's how he rolled.

 The original Merrill family

 Hale Koa

 And it wouldn't be a Merrill family vacation if we didn't embarrass ourselves with handstand contests

 Mai Tai's at sunset

 Diamond Head

Such a gorgeous place to share with the ones we love <3 nbsp="" p="">