rushley & crew

Family has always been a big deal to me. That is one reason that Russ and I have made it a priority to go to every Holmes family reunion since we've been married (that's four now!). The other reason is that Russ's family knows how to throw a good reunion! Every even year, there is a reunion of all the posterity of Russ's paternal grandparents--so basically, all his aunts, uncles, cousins, and children of cousins. The aunts and uncles rotate through who plans the reunion, so it's a little different every time, but always fun because so many people make the effort to come. I really feel like I know a lot of Russ's cousins because of these reunions! Every odd year, there is a reunion of all the posterity of Russ's paternal great-grandparents. There are a lot more people I don't  know at these reunions, partially because these reunions are just a few hours long, and partially because any time I spend talking to people is usually spent talking to the exte...

A few different times in our marriage, Russ and I have decided we need to go on more regular date nights. Problem is, it never really sticks! Or even happens, I think. We just talk about it, go on like one date, and then fall off the wagon again. This is lameeee because both of us really value quality time, but we're pretty bad at it naturally. Like, we spend lots of time  together, but making it quality  is the hard part. So basically, we spend a lot of time watching Netflix and movies together, but I don't consider that very quality time. I like time where we can talk more and where we can plan things for each other. So a few weeks ago, we had that same talk again, and we've been doing pretty dang good! Here's what we've been up to lately for date night :) 7.25.15 The weekend following this talk of ours just happened to be a weekend spent in Boise . Since we had never been to Freak Alley but had heard about it just about every time we go to Boise, we finall...

for other hawaii posts: part 1 - food part 2 - hikes part 3 - beaches Russ and I did so many fun things on our Hawaii trip. Like I said before, I loved planning it all! But even more, I loved doing it all, and with Russ :)  Before I get started on everything we did, I first have to mention the Oahu Pass . If you ever go to Oahu, I highly recommend getting an Oahu Pass. We didn't figure things out early enough, but if we had, we could have saved so much money because practically everything we did (Pearl Harbor, Pineapple Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center, catamaran sailing, paddle boarding, and snorkel equipment for Haunama Bay) is offered through the Oahu Pass! You can get it as a 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7-day pass, and if you get a multi-day pass, you don't have to use it for that many days in a row (i.e., if you get a 2-day pass, you don't have to use it for Monday and Tuesday . . . You can use it for Monday and Friday or whatever). I recommend figuring out the thin...