They came...they saw...they'll be back... (on Wednesday!!!)

It has been very long awaited, but Tom, Allison, Darcy, and Dalton finally came!!!! They arrived last Wednesday, December 16 after 17 hours on a plane, an 8 hour layover, and a 4 hour cab ride. Everyone was overjoyed when they got here! I was super nervous about the weather...but it turned out the weather was perfect the whole time they were here...(odd for Suva). I was also super nervous about their visit.... I am not sure why, but I couldn't even sleep. I knew things would be wonderful when were all together and I knew our friendship was super strong - but I just felt a lot of pressure to make an excellent vacation for our good friends. I know how much money and time it takes to get here, so I just wanted it to be perfect. As soon as they got here on Wednesday, I stopped worrying.

I will give a run down of our itinerary complimented by a few stories and pictures.

Wednesday

Troxwell-Capellos arrive around 10:30 a.m. Cheers! We hung out all day outside our house on the patio and by the pool. We got massages for Tom and Allison (with our burping masseuse) and had a couple (or a few) drinks by the pool while the kids played. We ate stuffed eggplant (Allison's favorite) and let everyone's jet lag take over around 8:30 pm to head to bed.

It was so good to hang out with our friends at our home in Fiji. It was so great to hug them, laugh with them, and get caught up on all of the year's happenings - good and bad.

Cheers! They have arrived!

backyard view all day

Thursday

Thursday was a crazy busy, packed day....but a good one. Allison and I went to a 5:30 a.m. boot camp track workout. Afterwards we all headed out to the good old rain forest hike, colo-i-suva. Everyone swung off the ropes and hiked around waterfalls. It was awesome and felt very Fijian. We went to the rain forest cafe afterwards and then came home for a brief rest. Allison and I then headed into town to buy some gifts for her friends and family. We stopped at the fruit and veggie market and Allison was in awe of all the eggplant and okra (for so cheap!). Afterwards, we met at the Grand Pacific Hotel for happy hour and then ate dinner at a Japanese steak house type place (Daikoku). After dinner, the boys went to see Star Wars and the rest of us got some snowy ice and headed home.

kids got pictures with guards while Allison and I shopped

Happy hour drinks for all

Friday

Allison, Wendy, and I did a long run (for me anyway) on Friday morning. It was so nice to do a long run with Allison again. I know she is WAY faster than me....but it didn't matter. It felt like old times...kind of. I loved adding Wendy to the run. Running friends are the best. I also loved showing Allison around Suva via running. She got the whole experience of heat, humidity, and running from biting dogs. We rushed back after the run for a quick shower so that we could go to Warren's work picnic at the beach in Pacific Harbour. We all got the Fijian experience of riding on the crowded hot bus to the party.... The party was full of fun games, swimming, and good food. It was really fun to have them along with us. When we got home, we went to the Holiday Inn for a pizza with friends.

Saturday

On Saturday morning we woke up early to head to Takalana Bay to see the dolphins. We had a beautiful drive (albeit bumpy and a bit dangerous given our van driver), followed by a lovely day with dolphin sightings, snorkeling, local yummy food, and once again great company. When we got home we had the biggest rainstorm I've seen so far here, but we still headed out sans kids to get some good Indian food. Allison and Tom were in disbelief that when we got home our sitter had cleaned our house, our dishes, folded our laundry and had got all four children to bed without a hitch. It was kind of a perfect day.

Sunday- Wednesday

On Sunday morning Allison and I went on a quick run before we got ready to head to Leleuvia. I've mentioned before that Leleuvia is our favorite resort here...but I don't know that it's for everyone. It's amazing for us because our kids can run free there and it's stunningly beautiful and there is just something magical about it. However, you don't have your own restroom in your bure and the showers are cold. It's not for everyone. I had some worries that Allison and Tom wouldn't like it...but I think it turned out well. I did hear Allison say several times how beautiful the place was there. The kids snorkeled, Dalton kayaked around the whole island, we played loads of games, laughed until we cried, and had many moments of awe at the natural beauty of the island. Overall, it was a success.