After being away for 10 weeks, we decided to go with the Shock and Awe strategy as the only way we were going to get all of our stuff back to Fiji without paying a fortune. Arrive to the airport late and act flustered (or completely natural in our case) and drop 17 bags in front of the poor Fiji Airways ticket counter and let our kids wreak havoc on the world.
It worked as planned as Fiji Airways simply looked the other way and charged us $100FJD for the surfboard….we were home. Finally.
Now comes the part where everyone in Suva meets Tui……the king of Suva. 🙂
First came Nic & Charlie!
Then of course is Della…
Lucy’s class at ISS was pretty excited to meet the little guy!
Leba and Bubu Eseta!
Our old roomie….sweet Evi got a snuggle…:)
Of course Tahu was butter….
Such a meaningful and beautiful shot of Aunty Marigold!
These powerful ladies of the S. Pacific…Marlyn, Shamina and Ofa couldn’t resist.
Of course Ilco…mind you Theo’s first round of clothes were all from Macedonia. 🙂
Maki!
So glad that Charlie and Alice got to meet Tui before heading off to Myanmar!
My July 1, 1970 brother Henry and Tui!
Nani, Shirlyn and Lora fawn over Tui…
Jessica came from PNG to get some time with the big guy….and her best friends Abby and Della…
Everyone loves a big baby….
We miss you Trish!
Tui is looking large and in charge with Taina..
My turn!
Tui is giving some love to Liz!
Our guy can take over most rooms…even those filled with these bad ass ladies!
Lucy’s bestie Darya given Theo some love…in the form of a headlock.
Morgan and baby Maden…who is even more in charge than Theo.
Mommy’s turn…
and of course…all the way from Maine….DeeDee!
After being away for a few months, William was super stoked to be back with his boys….Darcy and Tama!
…and of course Jacky Booty!
The Boettcher / Useda’s in Fiji! After a few weeks in Australia, Lara, Dave, Turi and Andres came over for an extended visit to Suva. We immediately took them to Leleuvia and had one of the nicest weekends in memory.
It never disappoints….and every time we visit, it is a different experience. Here is Lucy and Lara snorkeling off the beach.
My favorite pic. Part of me wanted to know what is going through his head…..part of me knows exactly what goes through ones head when listening to William.
Dave enjoying a perfect day.
Some of the staff at Leleuvia have watched Will grow from a chunky little 18 month old to the little monster he is today…..and they adore him…….he responds to everything they say with an “OYE!”.
A quick trip to snorkel and explore Honeymoon Island with the cousins…
Ahhhh, the South Pacific suits Dave….
Lara and William enjoying the furniture…..
Daddy sneakin’ in a quick paddle….
Turi and Andres enjoying the ride…
Back in Suva, this one started up a daily coconut oil routine after his afternoon nap….
Kalavata. Kala means color and Kalavata means clothing of the same color…and with all the colorful fabric available is it a great tradition for the family to dress in Kalavata. We headed to the fabric shop and then found a tailor for us all in hopes of one grand pic!
Now THAT is a proper Kousin Kalavata!
Not exactly Theo’s most flattering pose….but, still super cute!
Unfortunately, we would have to wait till Theo’s first bday to have a full family Kalavata image…..but, these are beautiful and certainly will do. 🙂
So, we bought a boat! Suva is a lovely place, but weekends do start to drag especially in the heat of summer…during a school break…when the kids seem like they are awake for 23 hours a day, but I digress. Having a boat has always been a bit of a pipe dream…….but out of the blue there was an email from Nic and wala, we bought a 17′ boat named NicNic from Gareth and Amy!
Never having owned or operated a boat, Abby and I thought it would be wise to take a few test rides out with just the two of us before inviting the kids or friends.
…….I think we both agreed it was a good decision and we were ready for guests.
Our go-to spot early on is the sand bank which is about a 10 minute ride from our house…
Look at us….we own a boat!
..and boy, did we become popular. 🙂 Here we are with dear friends John and Caro! Someone brought his hair A game!
People came as far away as Maine to ride on the NicNic!
Gareth was a huge fisherman and gifted us 6 monster trolling rods and more equipment than we knew what to do with. So, we took Nic and the family out for a maiden voyage and bam, bam, bam……we caught two travally and one mackerel!
Are you kidding me?
Turns out that was the last fish caught on the Nic Nic for a few months…….until of course Nic again boarded the NicNic and wala!
Many more adventures to come with the NicNic!
Ruby’s Masterclass. Abby and I signed up for an Indian cooking class with my new best friend Ruby. 7 ladies and Clancey. Clancey was the dutiful student…always listening and following directions unlike the other students. Turns out, Ruby LOVES Clancey. During our final big dinner, Clancey brought an average at best garlic naan while the rest of the ladies cooked their brains out (Abby included). Guess who got singled out and thanked for bringing the delicious garlic naan?
Additionally, guess who got his diploma first which obviously signified the top student honor. Abby is still pissed……should rename it Clancey’s Masterclass.
Cyclone Winston hit Fiji 3 years ago and our poor mango tree in the backyard hasn’t produced another mango since….kind of felt a bit like the Giving Tree…..and the tree was happy, but not really.
Well, that all changed this year when she seemed happy again and it was mangos galore for a few weeks!
All night we could hear the bats, cats, birds and creepy crawlies battle over the ripe mangos…..we would wake up early and try to find 5-10 untouched mangos that had fallen during the night.
DeeDee and Alice got into the early morning fun….
I love my sister’s sense of adventure. She has always been game and her time in Fiji was no different. She took the boys on an extremely bumpy 1-2 hour trip to the Namosi region in the highlands in this jam packed carrier truck where they spent a few nights with Danny at the Namosi Eco Resort.
Here they are getting some help crossing the river to their bure’s…
……..what an adventure! $_&*%$@_@%* Awesome!
It was inevitable. We had to say good bye to the boys after about a month together in both Australia and Fiji. It had been a few years and was really meaningful and amazing to get to know the 10 & 12 year old versions of them. 🙂 I don’t think they will ever forget their time in Fiji. 🙂
Good bye Lara, Turi and Andres…..’til we see you again!
With everyone back to work, back to Rochester, back to school……our life returned to normal so Abby and I were able to finally take a walk along the seawall and reflect on the past year. It is impossible to describe the ups and downs, but we $*$_*%$ made it……and everyone survived….just amazing!
With love,
Abby, Clancey, Lucy, William and now Theo!
