Maui, Hawaii

Well... the adventures continue. The first two weeks in May were spent in Maui, Hawaii with the Campbell Family. I had never been to Hawaii and I truly had no clue what to expect. You see all the pictures online and they look awesome; but let's be honest, how often has something looked better on paper than in real life? Hawaii is the exception. We arrived after dark, but waking up to this wasn't too bad...

The view from our balcony of The Pacific and East Maui

The Wailea Marriott Resort

The Serenity Pool overlooking the Pacific

So let me walk you through the vacation. The first couple of days were spent lounging at the pool. You know, recovering from jet lag and adjusting to Hawaii time is tough stuff... That's a lie. On the third day in Maui, Marky Mark treated us ladies to a spa day. If you know me well, you know I will not eat in order to have money for a massage. Although I will argue that my massage therapist, Christie at Aromatherapy, is the best; the Wailea Marriott Resort Spa does the spa environment like no other. Not only did we enjoy hour long massages, we also relaxed in their steam room while enjoying lush robes, amazing hot tea, soothing lotions, and being pampered head to toe.

The same night we took a sunset dinner cruise on the Alli Nui around West Maui. It is hard to choose what was my favorite part of Maui, but this cruise would rank high on any photographer's list. We left the dock underneath a beautiful rainbow.

The Alli Nui crew was really great and diverse. They literally had a staff from all over the world and truly loved being a part of the Alli Nui. The captain's name was Morgan... He's got yokes.

The Money Shot. I am contemplating sending this to the crew.

V, Marky Mark and Carlos

Sunset over the Pacific

Again for affect....

Missy and Carlos

The Alli Nui was one of the best parts of the trip. If you ever have the chance to visit Maui, take an evening to do this. It is about the same amount you will spend on dinner but provides a breathtaking experience.

Since January, all Caroline and Victoria could talk about since I decided to go to Hawaii was the luau. There were too many dinner table discussions to count about the food, the show, the experience, etc etc. So there was a lot of "hype" going in to the luau night.... and I was not disappointed.

Fresh Hawaiian Lies

There are two faces I get from V when I pull out the camera... This is one. The other involves two hands under her chin and cheesing like a 5 year old. I am not sure what causes either.

Missy making us pose for the family photo...

No words.

We learned how to make coconut milk. Well, other people learned. I just stared at the beautiful man.

The show was really great and full of Hawaiian history. No, I did not learn how to hula dance nor did I even come close to coconuts on my boobs...

I am not sure if it was the story, the experience, or the self induced food coma... but she just looked so majestic.

There was a lot of fire involvement in the dancing. However, the ultimate the fire twirler was this guy...

Of course, I had to have a picture with him. Yes, he was sweaty. I didn't hate it.

The next morning we woke up early and went snorkeling in the Pacific. This is also a "must do" in Maui because you make two stops. The first is at Molokini Crater and then to turtle town. Before we go again, I am purchasing an under water camera because these pictures aren't half as beautiful as what we saw underneath.

Our sea vessel...

Molokini Crater

Molokini up close and personal

The royal blue color of the water gives you an indication of two things. First, this is really deep water. Second, the sea life underneath around the crate was truly magical. We were literally in the setting of Finding Nemo.

Although I do not have pictures of the sea turtles, I managed to catch a picture of a dolphin tail from a passing school. 

Mother's day fell during our trip to Hawaii and it turned out to be one of the best days we had during the trip (Okay, let's be real... there were no bad days). We made our way out to East Maui to enjoy a few local shops and restaurants. Us kids and Mark snuck out while Missy was napping to do a little shopping at Tiffany's. Since Maui time means we had no concept of time, we missed our reservation and decided to eat at the resort restaurant. This turned out to be the best dinner we had the entire trip. We gave Missy her 1920's inspired Great Gatsby line of pearls for Mother's Day and she hasn't taken them off since. It was a great Mother's Day.

We spent the rest of our trip relaxing by the pool, enjoying the fresh seafood, and exploring Wailea. It was one of the best vacations I had ever taken. I cannot thank Mark and Missy enough for including me on this special family time. It will be a trip I never forget. 

Aloha!

Porter Ross's 7 Month Birthday

Is it my birthday??

After finding out Porter's prognosis, Sara and Michael decided to celebrate Porter's birthday every month. And we all know how much I love to throw parties...

So with the help of my family, we threw Porter Ross Heatherly a 7 Month Old Birthday Party. Of course, every little boy needs a top hat and mustache birthday bash:

Porter even had a mustache cake (which I made myself and afterwards, vowed to never bake again).

The expressions on this child's face all day every day are absolutely hilarious. I feel like he knows way more than we give him credit for.

Porter LOVES sweets. 

Sara and Michael are not fully aware of the things I feed Porter... He loves pudding (specifically chocolate), icing, cherry pie filling, and Wendy's frosties...

All of Porter's family and friends came to join us. We even had the sweet Mrs. Pat with us for Porter's birthday. 

Mr. John and Mrs. Pat Wingfield began as clients of Compass Construction and we all really just fell in love with them. When Sara went in to give birth, Mrs. Pat was in the hospital with lyme disease. Thankfully, Mrs. Pat is in full health and can be a wonderful part of Porter's life.

These Month Birthdays are turning out to be the best part of our routine. We are hoping to be able to celebrate as many as we can with our sweet little man.

"This too shall pass."

"This too shall pass" has been a poetic proverb used by some of the world's greatest leaders since medieval Persia. It is a simple phrase meaning that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary. Money, clothes, houses, cars are simply just things and they will all "pass". I narrate this simple proverb to help frame how this simple proverb has recently had a grand impact on my life.

My avid followers may remember a blog post made in October introducing Porter Ross Heatherly to the blog world. His mother, Sara, has been one of my best friends since I started working for her two summers ago and as the newest member of my family, I have been quite smitten with my second nephew.

Incase you forgot how beautiful he is:

I can remember sitting at the dinner table with Sara and Michael begging them to have a child and 6 months later at that same dinner table when they told me I would be an aunt. To this day Sara and Michael say it was the best reaction they had when telling someone they were pregnant. When Alana was pregnant, it was very hard for me to be at doctor's appointments, sonograms, etc. since I lived in another town. But, with Sara, I was there every step of the way. In the first 3D ultrasound I got to see Porter was trying to find his thumb. It was hilarious. I was there when we found out Sara was having blood pressure issues, when she went to the hospital, when she had Porter, and every moment after. My niece and nephews are truly the best parts of my life.

The beginning of February marked a huge turning point in our little family's lives. Sara and Michael had noticed a small twitching in Porter's eyes and, as any parent would, worried he was having trouble with his vision. A simple trip to a pediatric optometrist turned in to a long day spent at UAB's Genetics Center. The conditions of Porter's eyes led the doctors to believe he may have a rare genetic disorder and they immediately began testing.

Two weeks later, sitting in an awful hotel room in Reno, NV, my life came to a screeching halt. Most people have never had one of these moments. I literally felt like everything around me had froze. I was sitting on a maroon crushed velvet bed spread that smelled like 20 year old cigarettes when Sara told me Porter had a genetic disease called gangliosidosis. In that moment, I knew my life was going to be very different. My nephew, my little nugget, is literally that one in a million child in more ways than I originally thought.

Gangliosidosis is a rare genetic disease that is a result from both parents having the recessive gene. This disease prevents Porter from producing a certain enzyme that regulates the amount of lipids that build in his organs. The United States has literally seen less than a handful of these cases each year and most of them are seen in adults. Ultimately, in the next couple of years, these lipids will progressively destroy Porter's brain and nervous system. This disease will allow Porter to develop until a certain point and then begin to revert to infancy ending in death. "Death" is not a word I ever wanted to associate with any of my nieces or nephews.

This disease is so rare that there are no known treatments, cures or clinical trials. There is no prescriptive path of moving forward. Their doctor's exact words for treatment was "support and comfort". After a lot of thought and prayer, Sara and Michael have put together a plan that is best for them, their family, and for Porter. There are no second opinions, flying to some remote country to find a cure, or magic pill. There is just simply cherishing the time we have and figuring out how to emotionally deal with this change in paths.

So, to say the least, my life has dramatically taken a different turn. The meaning of my life and how I move forward in it has drastically changed. These next few months, while I still live in Auburn, will be spent with my beautiful nephew. I have always loved the proverb "this too shall pass" but now, it has such a more powerful meaning. Turning points in your life show you what should be important; allows you to step back and see beyond selfishness, pettiness, and pride like you never have before.

I wanted to share this not only in hoping you all will keep Porter and our family in your thoughts and prayers but also to explain why me as a person is different. I made a dramatic change in my schedule and thankfully, Sara and Michael have allowed me to spend most of my days with Porter. He is a happy boy and I may be biased but.... he LOVES Aunt KK. He is perfect.

A huge thank you to my family and friends who have walked on this path with me thus far. You all have truly been an amazing support system.

Please keep Porter in your prayers.
This too shall pass.