Honolulu ...... Aloha part 5

Day 5, Friday March 27
Well, today we left the beautiful Hilton Wiakoloa Resort and flew to Honolulu on the Island of Oahu. Honolulu definitely has a different feel from the Big Island. I guess that is what you get when you go from country living to the city. After getting our car, we took Candice and her hubby Mark to their hotel to drop off their stuff then we all went to our hotel to change and go to Waikiki beach so the guys could try their hand at surfing. Check out the sunset view from our balcony!
An old surfer dude, Sam, taught Kevan and Mark to surf on land and then they headed out to the water. Both of them got up on their first time! Candice and I sat on the beach and took video and pics and visited while the guys surfed.












After surfing, we headed back to our room to change. We watched the sunset from our balcony. Mindy and her hubby Brett came to meet up with Candice and Mark and they headed off to dinner. Kevan and I went to go meet a friend who lives there on Oahu, Karen and her husband Alex, for dinner. Karen is my sisters best friend so she is like a little sister to me. Kevan and Alex had much in common since Alex has just recently returned from a tour in Iraq, so Army stories were shared. After dinner we took a stroll down the sidewalk along the beach and watched several of the street performers there was Elmo, artists, drummers, break dancers, preachers, you name it. Every ten feet or so was some one new performing hoping for tips. It was starting to get late so we said our farewells and headed back to our room for the night. I was a little sad to walk in the room and not find a pillow gift. I really got used to that! Stampin' Up! sure did spoil us.

Day 6, Saturday March 28
Our day started early again. We headed off to our first stop for the day Punch Bowl National Cemetery. However, the map we had was not very helpful and unfortunately there aren't a lot of signs directing visitors, so we missed an exit and made an unplanned stop at Pali Lookout. It was windy there, but the view was fantastic! I am kinda glad we made a detour.












We finally made it to Punch Bowl. What an awesome experience. We parked the car and walked around the whole thing. We looked at graves, some had names and dates, others didn't and were simply marked "Unknown". All of the stones with names were engraved with a religious symbol, a cross for the majority of Christian faiths, a Star for Jewish, a wheel for Buddhist, and an angel Moroni for the Latter Day Saints.
The memorial building was beautiful. There are tall pillars that line the stairs to the top. All the names along with rank, unit, and home state are engraved in the stone. We counted 23 names that were colored in gold and marked with a star. We found out that these men (or their families if they were killed in action) were recipients of the Medal of Honor.








At the top, there are beautiful maps made from colored stones in a mosaic fashion depicting the events of WWII, based on each area. We only took pictures of a few.













We paid our respects in the little chapel area. It still brings a tear to my eye, as I reflect on standing there thinking of the list of names of those killed in Pearl Harbor. How great their sacrifice for our freedoms. There were very few visitors here. Maybe 12 including ourselves. It is off the beaten path therefore not a common place to visit for most tourists I imagine. But, with the military as big a part in our lives as it was, Punch Bowl was a very important stop for us to make. I am so glad we did and I would recommend you visit if you ever get the opportunity.











After leaving Punch Bowl, we headed back into the city to grab some lunch and catch a tour of Queen Liliuokalani's palace. We learned much about Hawaiian History. This palace was among the first to have indoor plumbing and electricity, even before the White House. Fabulous tour. It was very beautiful. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, I wish I could show you, but I understand why they want to keep things preserved.
From the palace, we took a drive up to the North Shore. We stopped in the little town of Haleiwa. Apparently this is a favored spot for surfing during the winter. The waves are much bigger on this side of the island. We ate dinner at Breakers, then grabbed a famous shave ice. These are different than the snow cones we are used to. First, they put some small beans at the bottom. These are a really sweet bean. Then a scoop of vanilla ice cream and top it off with the shaved ice. It was REALLY yummy.










We continued to drive around the northern part of the island. Stopping to take a picture of the temple and then it grew dark so we headed home again. Once back at the hotel, we packed our bags since the morning would come early and we had much to do before heading to the airport.

Honolulu......Aloha part 6

Day 7, Sunday March 29
Like I said, we got up early and met Mike, Sherri, Brandi and Jon in the hotel lobby about 7:00am. After the valet finally found our car, we all headed to Pearl Harbor to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. We were able to catch the 9:00 ferry to the memorial. Yet another amazing place. Half of the deaths that occurred in Pearl Harbor were a result of the USS Arizona being hit. Not only was this ship hit, but it was hit where they kept the ammunition, resulting in a massive explosion. The memorial is built over the ship that rests on the Harbor floor. The ship still leaks oil to this day, between 1-2 quarts a day. It comes out in little drops that float to the surface and then burst open. It is said that these are the tears of the ship. Can you see the black dot in the center picture?






















We wandered through the visitors center. A few of the displays caught my attention. One was a picture of a sailor and a copy of his last letter home, it of course was short, saying hello to friends and family and simply requesting a picture of his mother. He signed off by saying, "You're beautiful Mom." Another letter I read was from a mother to her sister just days after the attack. She said "...we don't know where he is or if he is okay....it may take a few days till they know who was killed, injured, and safe......If I don't hear from Art soon, I I think I'll lose my mind....If you want to send him anything you better do it soon as we don't know where he is or where he'll be.....pray for him...". Unfortunately, he was on the USS Arizona.

I sat on the floor and wept. Letters like these just hit so close to home. I suppose it is something that not everyone can relate to, but those who have had loved ones serve in the military during times of war can. It is a scary thing to be sitting at home during a conflict, wondering if they are okay. Waiting for them to call or write so you know they are alive. I was so blessed my soldier was able to come home to me.

Next we all headed down the road to the Aloha stadium where every Sunday there is a HUGE swap meet. And I mean HUGE. Booths circle the entire stadium! This is the absolute best place to pick up souvenirs. Some of our purchases were: 8 tee shirts - 2 for each of our children and 2 for Kevan for $20 plus LOTS of other fun stuff for our kids!

The Barnard's and Robinson's headed to the airport to turn their car in early, but Kevan and I went back to the harbor and visited the USS Missouri and the Bowfin submarine. The USS Missouri is a sister ship to the USS Arizona It is where the world leaders met and ended WWII ( On the golden plaque). It was damaged in the attack, but was later repaired and even used in the first Gulf War. After that it was decommissioned. It is an amazing ship. The guns on that ship are MASSIVE! It was a really cool experience.










The Bowfin was also used in WWII. It was pretty amazing to tour that. The spaces are so small. We learned a lot from that tour also.








Well, by now it was almost 5:00 so we headed to the airport and caught up with the Barnard's and Robinson's. We grabbed some dinner there and then played cards till the rest of our group - the Anderson's, Bywater's, and William's made it. Our flight left at 8:30pm. It was a 6 hour flight home and we to to SLC at 6:30am Monday morning. As we were descending into the valley, the flight attendant looked out our window and commented on the snow. I said, "Is it too late to change our mind and go back?" Yicky snow!

Our trip was a really fabulous one. We did everything we had on our list. We were able to spend time with friends and were able to make new friendships too. After visiting sites like these that are so beautiful, all I can say is, "When are we coming back?"

Aloha and Mahalo!

Customer Appreciation Sale

Well, we are down to the final hours of packing before we leave for a week to beautiful Hawaii. I wouldn't be going on this dream vacation if it weren't for you, my fabulous customers (and my terrific downline and supportive upline). So, in return I am offering some really fabulous specials to you! A few things to note, all of these specials are only offered through me, your demonstrator, and not a company special. Also all orders that are emailed or phoned in will be placed on March 30. This sale runs March 22-March 29, 2009

FREE SHIPPING
All orders placed between March 22-March 29 will get free shipping. Here is how it will work:
Email stampingsfun@yahoo.com or leave a voice message or text at phone (435)730-1036 your order. If applicable, in the subject line (or text body) include "FREE SHIP 09". list your items. These orders will be entered in on March 30th and then will be shipped directly to you from Stampin' Up! via UPS.

Now, you may also order directly at my website: www.deborahlarsen.stampinup.net to get your order faster. However, you will have to pay for shipping at the time you place your order, so to make up for that, I will send you a gift Certificate for the 10% of your merchandise total in its place.

ONLINE STORE ORDERS GET EXTRA FREE GIFT
The first 10 orders placed from my online store will also receive a cute stationary set that includes 6 specially designed cards, 6 envelopes all contained in a cute little box.


DRAWING
Anyone who places an order of $50 or more before shipping and taxes will be entered into a drawing for a gift bag filled with various products totalling $50

Place a $150 order (you can collect orders from your friends to do this too) before ship and tax, and you will be in a drawing for a Gift bag worth $100!

Join My Team
Sign up to be a demonstrator at www.deborahlarsen.stampinup.net and click the "join Now" button in the upper right corner, and you will enjoy a discounted starter kit price of only $169 + you can add another stamp set of your choice to the starter kit (up to $47.95) + I will add an 8.5x11 pack of cardstock in each of the In Color's AND all 6 of the In Color Classic Ink Pads! To join online you will need my recruiter authorization code: Ink N Things . It doesn't get any better!

(If you would like to spread the regular cost ($199) of the kit out over 3 months, you can do that in April by mailing in the paperwork. Contact me for more details.)

Thanks so much! You guys are the best!

Fun 3D Items

Last week I attended a business builders meeting with other members of our group. It was so much fun. We swapped cards, stamped 3 really fabulous projects, traded 3D items, had a yummy supper, and shared some fabulous business ideas about goal setting. It was a wonderful evening. One of my favorite parts was the 3D trade. I love 3 D items. It always amazes me what fun ideas can be thought up!

I helped out one of my downline members who also attended by making her item for her, as she was crunched for time. Here is what I came up with:

I loved how this stationary kit turned out. I will be offering it as a class and class in the mail in April, so stay tuned for those details.

Swap Sneak Peak

I am going to a group Business Builders meeting tomorrow, and we are doing swaps of course. So I have spent this week designing and assembling my swap. I am really happy with how it turned out. Although the original design is not my own, I first saw it made by Brandi. I loved the idea. I will also add here that my swaps will NOT contain the $10 bill. What a bummer, huh!? If you want to learn how to make this awesome money card, lets schedule a Specialty Class for you and your friends. We can make this card and a few other fun birthday items!

Here is the front view:

Here is the open view:

Supplies used:
Basic Grey Textured, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron Cardstock
Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Certainly Celery Classic ink
So Saffron Brad, Corner Rounder Punch, Party Hearty stamp set, Celery Grosgrain ribbon, Tea Party DSP

March Card Kit (deadline extended)

It's card kit time again! You will LOVE this stamp set and these cards!

In this kit, you'll receive the supplies to create SIX of EACH design shown above - so you will receive all of the consumable supplies that you need to create 12 cards total.

You will also receive 2 additional full color samples of "alternative" cards that you can make with the combined contents of the kit, as well as step by step instructions on how to complete each of the 4 designs.

Card Kit Price is just $15--that's 12 cards,
plus envelopes for just $15!

Each month, the card kit also features both a Stamp Set of the Month and an Accessory of the Month. If you purchase the card kit, you may also purchase these items at 20% off!

March Featured Products:

*Friends 24-7 ($25.95) $20.76 with the purchase of the Card Kit
*Dress Up Ribbon Originals ($12.95) $10.36 with purchase of the Card Kit

**NOTE: Ribbon is NOT included in this card kit....you can purchase as a "featured product" or use other ribbon you already have on your cards.


What else will you need? See the list below for items that were used to create the cards in this kit. If you already have everything--just buy the card kit and you are ready to create!

If you don't have everything--place a product order with your kit (don't forget about the discount on the "featured products!")

Or--you can use the card kit to create your own designs using other stamps and inks that you already have--the choice is yours!

Orders for the Card Kits must be received by March30th. You will receive your kits by the second week of April.

Call or email me today to order:
Deborah Larsen
(435) 730-1036 Cell
(435) 279-8520 Home
stampingsfun@yahoo.com

Please Note: I am glad to ship kits directly to you! If the kit needs to be shipped, there will be an extra $3 shipping charge.

Products you will need to complete cards as shown: · Close to Cocoa Classic Ink Pad ($5.95) · Sage Shadow Classic Ink Pad ($5.95) · So Saffron Classic Ink Pad ($5.95) · Riding Hood Red Classic Ink Pad ($5.95) · Basic Brown Classic Ink ($5.95) · Small Oval Punch ($15.95) · 1" Circle Punch ($10.95) · Aqua Painters ($16.95) · Stampin' Sponges ($3.50) · Friends 24-7 Stamp Set ($25.95) $20.76 with the purchase of the Card Kit · Dress Up Ribbon Originals ($12.95) $10.36 with the purchase of the Card Kit · Stampin' Dimensionals ($3.95) · SNAIL Adhesive ($6.95) · Bone Folder ($6.95)

I know, I have slacked getting you some new things to look at. No excuses, I just hope you will forgive me.

Here is a recent project I did. Kasia showed hers on her blog and I liked the idea, so I made one for me! Yes, the DSP is retired, but I really liked it, so I used it. Inside, I used the big calendar stamp to stamp the months. I left room on the sides so I can make myself notes and stuff. I have to write everything down or I forget it.

I love this planner, and am so happy I have good friends who inspire me!


This next week I will be preparing for our FREE trip to Hawaii, courtesy of Stampin' Up!. A full week in paradise will be nice after all this snow!

If you would like to know how you can get a free trip every year, now is a perfect time to become a demonstrator and learn all about it. The starter kit is on sale 15% off (only $169) PLUS you will get an additional stamp set of your choice to add to it, AND the company has announced there will be a payment plan option (details will be availible soon)! There hasn't been a better time to start!