2008 and WEB arrive at the same time!

We sat on Waikiki beach to watch the fireworks and cheer in the NEW YEAR before heading over to the hotel where Willem, Erwin and Brenda (WEB) would be staying. We heard the famous Heuck whistle and sure enough WEB found us there in the lobby. What a way to start 2008!

The picture below signifies FAMILY to us. Why? You ask?
Well here's the story..... When Dieter was just a wee lad he spent some time with his Aunties. Linden, Karen, and Diane told the wee one he could be WHATEVER he wanted to be when he grows up. "ANYTHING at all" they said. So they were told he wanted to be AN OSTRICH! Since that time, we always include a visit to Uncle Ostrich at the Honolulu Zoo.



The recent weeks have passed very quickly for us here in Hawaii. We've been to the Zoo a few times. The Honoulu Zoo is home to 1230 mammals, birds and reptiles (By the way - that number increased by four when Erik, Dieter, Alexander and Katherine went).



We're big fans of the Waikiki Aquarium and because it is so close to where we're staying we go quite frequently. Each time we seem to learn something new too so it's always worth a visit. It's the third oldest Aquarium in the US! There are plenty of tropical fish in this small but first-class aquarium, located on a live coral reef. The Hawaiian reef habitat features sharks, eels, black corals, and habitats of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and pelagic mahimahi. The kids enjoy the interactive displays especially the one where volunteers teach them how to hold a hermit crab, touch a sea urchin and make a sea anemone move.

Waikiki never seems to sleep, and in addition to the sunset ceremonies on the beach there are always many Hula shows to watch. Yesterday Erik was selected as a participant to perform the Hula at the Sheraton Waikiki poolside show. NOTE: video clips will be available upon request from Tante Brenda.

A few days ago Greg and Alexander invited Georg and Dieter to join them on a Captain's tour of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. WOW! On the deck of the battleship Missouri, World War II came to an end with the signing of the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. The Missouri was part of the force that carried out bombing raids over Tokyo and provided firepower in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. It was the last battleship of its kind that the Navy built. In 1955, the Navy decommissioned the ship, but in 1986, the Missouri was modernized and called back into action, eventually being deployed in the Persian Gulf War, before retiring once again in 1992. In 1998, Hawaii was honoured with the rights to keep the Missouri and she was brought to Pearl Harbour. Their tour took them into the bowels of the ship giving them an appreciation of what life would have been like onboard.

Because Georg's father was in the German Navy he has his story (history) to share and we continue to want to know and understand more about life during war times. When Georg and Erik visited the Missouri with Papa (Opa) a few years ago they were very touched by the response he received from members of the Navy who had also "served" in the War, but of course on different sides. The mutual friendship, courtesy and understanding between the old sailors was touching.

We are unable to add pictures from the tour, as our new camera is no longer functioning. We'll try to collect a few from Barb and Greg to share on our blog.

Today we had planned to rent a car and go experience the Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park with our friends from Regina. Unfortunately we had to change our plans when we couldn't secure a large enough vehicle for the seven of us.

Because we've visited this Island many times, we won't be doing all the tourist-type activities. We are still planning to hike Diamond Head, snorkel at Hanauma Bay, and the PADI divers will go scuba diving but otherwise we'll just hang out or "hang loose" as they say in Hawaii. (Note here: The older we get, the easier it is for us to do this "hangin loose stuff" as our entire bodies seem to get in on the mood and just droop- er- I mean Hang Loose quite naturally, SANS EFFORT).

We continue to meet so many amazing people and we still fervently believe that it's not what we do, but who we meet that makes a place dear to us. A special thank you to our new friends from San Francisco: Deborah, Dan and their amazing son Brandon for sharing their time with us here until their departure on December 30.

Season's Greetings!

Merry Christmas!
2007 has been an incredible year for our family.

Erik played hockey, soccer, waterpolo and lacrosse last year and then used his birthday money to buy a membership to the Royal Regina Golf course. He also kept busy with paddling for the Wascana Racing Canoe Club in the summer. He's just learned how to play squash as well as tennis and recently he fulfilled a dream of becoming a certified PADI scuba diver. Needless to say, he loves sports!

Over the year Dieter enjoyed public skating, swimming, waterpolo and paddling (also with the Wascana Racing Canoe Club). He's also learned how to play tennis and surf. He continues to write amazing stories c/w original illustrations in his free time. He's taking a break from French and learning to spell in English this year. He is also very creative in his spelling and use of the English language.

Georg continues to coach hockey and he still seems to think he should also PLAY hockey. This explains why he's always whining about his aching back.

I remain forever grateful to my running friends who keep me sane and healthy.

While we all miss our lives from "back home" we are grateful to have this year to live and experience life as a family while travelling. Since the passing of my sister Linden, I realize how precious and fragile life is and, as such, we are commited to living life to the fullest each day. It's truly amazing how much we've learned from Linden's life - I guess big sisters are always teaching their younger "sibs."



I think she would have something to say about the younger sibs' activities. Two drinks each?

Christmas is always a time to be grateful for good health, good friends and close families. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Erik and Dieter received an early Christmas gift - their very own surf boards! As Mom says, we're "creating memories."

Merry Christmas from the Heucks!

Dieter hangs ten!

Today Dieter took his first surf lesson and experienced immediate success! Amazing everyone, he caught his first wave and rode it all the way to the beach. By the end of the hour he had caught at least 10 waves. He's already got plans to be out in the surf again tomorrow. I'm afraid he'll join his brother "out there" and we won't see him for the rest of our beach days.

There have been occassional daytime showers here in Waikiki, but the sun continues to shine so the rain doesn't keep people from heading to the beach.

We've started to settle into the spirit of ALOHA so it's difficult to keep track of what day of the week it is or what time of day it is. We generally know when it's morning and when it's evening and I'm sure we'll know when it's Christmas.

Good-bye Europe and Aloha Hawaii!

The weather was becoming increasingly cold in Europe so we "needed" to leave for warmer climes. Our plan for a year off was based on this need for warm weather. We intend to try to stay warm, avoiding the need for warm clothing.

London was wet and grey the day we left. We weren't sorry to leave, especially knowing we were heading for Hawaii> a place we have grown to love.

It has taken a few days to adjust to the 10 hour time difference. We've slept during the day only to be wide awake in the middle of the night a few times but we seem to have adjusted.

Hawaii will be home for the next two months. Here we will celebrate Christmas and we're even going to get to see friends from Regina during the holidays! Dieter is counting the days until his buddy Alex arrives and we're hoping we can go to the ZOO with the Most family. On December 31 our family, Erwin and Brenda and little Willem will arrive for a two-week vacation. All this will only enhance our days of fun and sun and sand and surf.

We really love this place!

Poisson in Portugal

Chef Girard sliced and diced and dipped and stirred until he produced this amazing mango fish dish. We were pleased to practice our French and Chef Girard seemed to be happy to talk in his mother tongue while preparing this tasty dish.
The bonus was a copy of the recipe to take home - 'er it would have been nice if it had been in English or French but I guess German is okay.



They play hard and of course they "Work" hard....


Then at the end of the day they sleep. That's when we are grateful for some quiet time and that's when we reflect on how bland life was before children.

Gelato

We love the gelato here! As part of our health and nutrition education we've classified this as a necessary food type: DAIRY. And everyone knows we need dairy products to build healthy bones, so we eat a little each day.

Our gelato days will soon be over as we head for Hawaii and Baskin Robbins. We've enjoyed our European experiences over the past couple of months. These past three weeks were supposed to be spent in Israel with our guide (my kindred spirit) Linda Epstein, but we cancelled because we were a little uneasy about the situation in Israel at the time. Linda is now in the Phillipines and we've agreed to experience Israel another time.

PADI certified

It's been a week of fun activites for the whole family. Dieter's enjoying basketball and fitness classes with me while Erik and Georg have kept busy with scuba diving and squash. Today Erik received his PADI certificate so he joins his Dad and Uncle Erwin as a scuba diver. Thursday will be an adventure at sea where they travel by boat for a scuba dive. Needless to say, he's excited.