Memories

I'm thankful for memories, such as the song, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Stephanie Street?" The memories are just a patch for the hole in my life where my daughters used to be, but they cannot be taken away, and I am thankful.

Summer of 2006

The summer of 2006 marks an important time in our family’s lives. This was the first (and unfortunately the last) time that my kids and David’s daughter—Lauren—got to spend the summer together. In those action-packed months we traveled to Moab, rafted the Colorado River, went on hummer rides and visited Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks. We visited Yellowstone; Grand Teton National Park then finished our incredible summer with 17 days in Maui. The kids had the time of their lives and got to see more places in one summer than most people will ever see in their lifetimes.

Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Rafting the Colorado River

Hummer rides and Delicate Arch

Because David and I had a limited budget, we were able to stretch our money by camping and cooking our own meals. Camping in the national parks within the continental United States was a no-brainer, however, Maui was a bit more of a challenge to plan. Because Hawaii is primarily a tourism state, finding information on how and where to camp around the island wasn’t easy since it doesn’t bring in a lot of revenue. Therefore, it’s not highly promoted. In addition, the permit offices for each campground were hard to find and the lines were long when we did find them. David and I gained a wealth of knowledge from our travels around the island. Not only did we figure out the “system” but we discovered a lot of “locals only" gems. Because of this, I’m writing this blog to share our experiences with those who might be interested in our travels and to possibly inspire others to set out on some adventure travels of their own.

After arriving at the Kahului airport we rented a car and set out for our hotel room booked through Hotwire. We were not 100% sure of where we were camping our first night and pitching a tent in the dark was not our idea of fun. We needed a place to start.



Hotel—day one. Kids loved climbing the palm trees, picking the coconuts and swimming in the pool.

Here’s what we learned:

1. All State and Local campgrounds require a permit. If you don’t have a permit when the ranger comes to your campsite, you can buy one from him/her. (This saves you from spending half the day looking for the permit office and waiting in the long lines.) We always had our permit money readily available—should the ranger stop by.

2. We were never asked for our camping permits. (In other words…can you say “free”?)

3. Most of the campgrounds don’t have shower facilities so be prepared to shower at the public beach showers. Yes, I would even shave my legs and underarms there too.

4. If you have an aversion toward cold showers, no electricity or port-a-potties, this may not be for you.

5. Purchase your camp cooking supplies and food from home where it’s cheaper and plan your menus around one-pot meals. Fuel for your camp stove is the only thing you’ll need to purchase in Hawaii since you can’t put it in your checked bags. Again, if you have an aversion for hotdogs, spaghetti, Ramen noodles or mac-n-cheese, this may not be for you.

6. Count on the daily rain showers to begin just as you start to prepare your evening meal.

7. Bring blow-up air mattresses and small fleece sleeping bags. Temperatures don’t get cold enough (except at the volcano campground) to need standard sleeping bags, therefore, saving a lot of space in your suitcase.

8. Bring a comfortable swimsuit—you’ll be living in it 24/7.

9. Occasionally, find a nice resort by the beach and act like you belong there for the day. The key is in the towel. Once you get a towel you're a "guest" for the day.

10. All the State and local campgrounds are closed certain days of the week to discourage the homeless population from permanently setting up camp. Be prepared to move camp every few days. Think of it as your motivation to see the whole island, which you would want to do anyway, right?

11. Watch for multiple cars parked on the sides of roads in random places. This is a good indication that there’s something to see that only the locals know about. We discovered some incredible places—like the hidden waterfall hike and Venus Pools—which are not mentioned in any guidebooks.


This small, unmarked opening in a bamboo forest on the side of the road was the only entrance to the hidden waterfall hike. (Pictured next to it is the lower waterfall—the easy part of the hike.)

Just after the lower waterfalls, we had to scale this rock wall with a rope, (picture 1) then leave all valuables under a tree, swim up this river and scale the waterfall (center of picture 2) to get to the hidden waterfall just beyond.

Swimming up the river to get to the hidden waterfall and Lauren happy to be there!

Hidden Waterfall

Definitely worth the hike! (Pictures were taken with our underwater camera and scanned in, so they're not the best quality.)

Venus Pools

Venus Pools is a local hotspot for cliff diving. We saw some incredible—and slightly crazy—cliff divers!


12. Sit through a timeshare presentation to get free tickets to a Luau. However, it’s only “free” if you don’t buy the timeshare.



13. Find out how the system works and crash it the next day with friends.

14. Make friends and stay in touch. The memories are PRICELESS!!

Top: Cari and Jerry Jones. Bottom: Kyli, Lauren and Madison

Until next time…..HAPPY TRAVELS!

Lightning Stike!

Mississippi is well known for its fast and furious rain storms that come out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. Atlanta has them as well. I can’t tell you how many weather delays I’ve experienced coming into Atlanta when upon arrival, there’s not a cloud in the sky. The other day David and I returned from a weeklong vacation to find the yard bone dry and most of my new plants nearly dead. Not more than 15 minutes after watering the yard, in comes a torrential rain and lightning storm. David and I were standing on the back deck watching the incredible light show when suddenly there was a loud pop and flash that came from the side of the house not more than 50 feet from where we both stood. We realized immediately that the lightning was hitting too close for our safety and ran inside.

The following day David and I were returning from our walk and discovered the damage from the lightning strike. The lightning struck not one, but two trees, blowing bark and wood as far as 30 feet away. The fact that David and I were standing that close to witness the strike and were not hit ourselves was truly a blessing.

goals

As predicted, 2009 has been an incredible year for the Mallery family so far. We have accomplished many of the goals we set at the beginning of the year, however, the order in which our goals have come to fruition have not exactly been as scheduled. Our family has always been used to dealing with curves in road of life and have always adjusted quickly, however, this year has been exceptional.


The kids and I moved to Mississippi earlier than we had originally planned. Transferring the kids to another school this close to the end of the school year was a tough decision for David and I but so far the kids are adjusting well and have been pleasantly surprised with their new surroundings. So far, they’ve found that the biggest difference between Utah and Mississippi (amongst others) has been the heat and humidity. Alex finds it hard to understand why you still have to turn on the A/C when the top on the convertible is down. The kids love their new schools, the neighborhood and even our new church. The church has a great youth program that keeps them actively involved. Fortunately, I was able to take April and May off from work to be home with David and the kids full-time. We’ve really been focusing on doing things as a family and have grown very close because of this. We’ve been going to church every Sunday, having home-cooked meals around the dinner table every night, family movie nights, dominoes on the back deck, fishing together, mountain biking and hanging out around the fire pit playing guitar or telling stories. Yes, we’re the freakin’ Cleaver family! The kids have met new friends and our house has quickly become the neighborhood hangout.

Of all of us, David has had to make the most adjustments. Going from single guy to family man almost overnight isn’t easy for anyone but he’s really stepped up to the plate and has been a great father figure and role model for my children. The kids really look up to him and love and respect him. More importantly, they appreciate the way he loves and respects their mother. I’ve said this time and time again, but letting your kids witness and be part of a loving, respectful relationship is probably one of the most valuable lessons in life you can teach them.

What’s next? Well, once school is out the kids will be going to youth camps and traveling back to Utah to spend the rest of the summer with their father. Alex is planning on getting her driving permit—mercy—and our Egypt trip that was postponed at the last minute will hopefully become a reality shortly. I go back to work in June and David and I are working toward a wedding this fall. A lot is on the horizon, so check in often for an update.

Our family has truly been blessed this year. Thank you to everybody that has helped us along the way. We will always be grateful for your love and support!

With love—

The Mallery Family

The Mallery Family

Welcome to the Mallery Family Blog Site. This site was created to give us the ability to write about our travels, update family on our kids' activities, express our opinions and journal our life's experiences. Sadly, two pieces of the family puzzle are missing; Lauren and Stephanie. All we have left to share are the memories. We would somehow like them to know that we love them and miss them and consider them part of our family. Our hopes are that one day they may want to be a part of our exciting and amazing journey!

Michelle and David

David, Alex and Caden

David, Steff and Lauren

Love was all he needed...(the condensed version)

… I looked underneath the stairs to find Stephanie sitting down, her white school shirt filthy from recovering her beloved Lucky, and the little duckling being held tight— loved even in death.

We had been lucky to find the duck. And Stephanie had learned a hard lesson.

As I felt the tears welling in my eyes, I realized I still had some learning to do myself...

No matter how much you love someone, you can’t alleviate the pain that they feel.

You can only hope that sharing it with them will somehow help to diminish the sorrow over time.

Each afternoon when I picked Stephanie up from school, she was quiet and sad.

There were to be fresh flowers for Lucky every morning until we moved.

I tried to find some means of closure for Stephanie— and for myself.

It was Stephanie who found it, however.

One afternoon she handed me a drawing that she had made of Lucky’s little resting place and a marker that read “LUCKY. Love was all he needed.”

Nearby a duckling swam happily on a pond with lilies.

There was also a poem written beneath, penciled neatly by a shaky, yet caring fourth grade hand:

Lucky
In my mind I see you,
and Lucky, you see me.
You fill my heart with love,
and make me very happy.

Death can’t keep us separate,
Yes, that’s very true.
And now I’m very desperate
for you and only you.

When I watched you take
your last breath,
I really thought our love
was then death.

But just because your body
has been left behind,
It doesn’t mean you’re
absent from my mind.

You’re my favorite duckling,
This is also true.
Now all that I have left to say
is “Lucky, I love you.”