charity dog wash!

this was such a fun event. uncle ryan held a charity dog wash at petland to benefit some local charities. we stopped by just in time for the kids to help wash a huge st. bernard! he didn't want to get into the pool, and no one felt like arguing. :) they washed and brushed a bunch of dogs and gave them goodie bags. very fun!

kayaking greenville falls

well, about as surprising as finding out there were falls that could be kayaked, we also found out greenville falls aren't in greenville. they're in covington, a quick 20 minutes away! so allen called his buddy matt and off we all went for an adventure. the kids and i hiked down to a good vantage point and allen and matt took turns climbing up and kayaking down the falls.

kayaking the great miami river, well kinda...

more like playing in knee deep water with no current in the middle of town, but we sure had fun! i did find it was near impossible to tow three kids in a white water kayak... they took turns paddling and swimming and just enjoying the 96° weather!

more lundy adventures

because the kids want to go on their own adventure, and we're just too wiped from our last one, we compromised:
we're camping, in the wild, wild... back yard. :)
if you hear loud, and probably bad, singing, that'll be us!

the strawberry festival parade!

this is our now-annual trip to watch the strawberry festival parade! i made cinnamon rolls and we all enjoyed a LOT of food from the other watchers in our little, well big, group. the kids had fun of course and saw lots of friends. like i said last year, it's so nice to be connected again! big thanks to eric reed for getting up so early to reserve our spots!!
and of course we loved seeing the fountain in the town square being red again!

skate park in troy

the kids love this place! they took bikes, scooters, and skateboards and had a ball.

saturday, our last day in the cook islands

this was our last day, and we were both sad to leave and happy to be heading home to the family. may's been a very long, but very fun month! we explored, looked at the mountains for the last time, combed more of the beach, had more pavlova (our favorite dessert discovery in new zealand, thanks lauren!), had another coconut, photographed the lizards that lived above our front door, and enjoyed our last day before our midnight flight to LAX.
of course i threatened national security with my chapstick (it's always that or water, i have authority issues). but the boarding process was pretty quick and easy for their once a week flight out to LAX and the singing man was back, and the chickens. we each had to pay a $55 departure tax. how on earth anyone can tax the act of leaving a country i'll never understand. after 9.5 hours to LA, then more hours to St. Louis, then more hours to Dayton, we were finally back home. home sweet home.
we had a fabulous trip and literally squeezed every drop of fun possible out of every minute of every day. now we're exhausted and need a vacation! :)
it's great to be connected to the world 24/7 again. i'll have more pictures and videos to share as i find them. thanks for following us all over the globe!

friday, rarotonga

we explored more of rarotonga and allen snorkeled some more as i enjoyed a day on the beach (ahhhh). we had to move to another room, this time up the hill with a pool view. we missed the beach view, and the hot water! we also went to an island feast and show, which was amazing. (highly recommend highland paradise if you vist the cook islands!) it showed the country's history through song, dance, and drums, so good!

thursday, exploring rarotonga

thursday we spent the day exploring the main island of rarotonga by scooter and by foot. they don't seem big on making nice clear paths through the jungle/mountains, but rather suggest you go with a guide, and we could see why. but we did our own exploring, as lundys like to do. we'd hike a while, then see a cow, tied to a rope, in the middle of the jungle. i'm sure there's a reason why, we just don't know what that is! and of course chickens, there are always chickens. and allen used his skills to open a coconut and an orange so we could survive in the wild. :)

flight to aitutaki, cook islands (survivor location)

wednesday, we flew to aitutaki (population 2,000) to see some more of the cook islands, where survivor was filmed (the pics of 2 islands close together), visit a sand bar where models do photo shoots, and to snorkel some reefs and smaller islands. it was a beautiful day and very fun!

may 26 (the second one!), the cook islands

it's hard to believe this was just this week, feels like so long ago! this was our second tuesday, may 26, this time in the cook islands. yep, where survivor was filmed in 2006! now we heard the cook islands were laid back, but in case you ever go, take what you think laid back is, then multiply that by about ten. it's definitely undeveloped, noncommercial, and well, just laid back! it's obvious from the time you arrive in rarotonga (population 10,000), as you walk from the runway into the airport, well the room that is the airport, where you're greeted by friendly locals, everyone wearing flip flops, a man playing traditional music (i hear anytime there's a flight), and chickens. yeah, lots of chickens in the cooks, more than mosquitoes i think.
so we got there at 1am, on the day that we left (time space continuum thing) and had a quick sleep then explored. we were right on the beach, which is a wonderful lagoon protected by a reef all the way around the island. so the water is ankle to waist deep, very calm, with lots of coral and fish, and crystal clear. check out the pic on the left and the ring around the island. we took kayaks out around some small islands close to the beach. you hardly need to snorkel since the water's so clear. we paddled out and explored the reef at low tide and saw starfish, tons of sea cucumbers, and lots of interesting fish and coral. then we watched the sun set over the mountains, some locals catch an octopus for dinner, and rode around the entire island (35km) on our hot red scooter. the pic of the ocean and small island is the view from our room, right on the beach.