Two words: Good and Times.

We had an amazing time with the Hula's. It's crazy how well Sydney and I got along with Hula Doula, Hula Hubby and their kids. Talk about feeling welcome. Hula met us at the airport, and picked us up... and immediately we became instant friends. There was literally not a break in conversation from the time she picked us up until the time we left. And Sydney's gut hurts from the amount of laughing that she and Hula Doula did.

The weather couldn't have been served up more perfectly if we had ordered it from a fancy restaurant. Saturday... we all jumped in their Ford Excursion and went and enjoyed the outdoors. The temperature was 70+ degrees and we walked and talked while their kids played and enjoyed the afternoon at Red Rocks Park. After that we went to The Cheesecake Factory and GORGED ourselves on mammoth size portions of food. There were a total of 5 adults and 2 kids (not including Benji) and we could have fed a small third world country with table of food that was set before us. I had some spicy chicken tacos and they were good. I was actually doing okay until I ordered the cheesecake... Of course one cannot go to the cheesecake factory and not order cheesecake... and I paid dearly for it as passed out as a result of the painful bloating that was going on in my belly; fortunately, Hula and Sydney were able to drag me out of the restaurant and tie me to the top of that same Ford Excursion. Because of their quick thinking, the fresh air calmed my aching gut and I was able to regain my composure.

After this, we went back to their house and watched the Seattle/Washington playoff game. Sydney and Hula Doula stayed upstairs and talked the whole time while Hula Hubby and I watched football (on his 52 INCH projection TV) and chatted. After the game, the Hula's lent us their van so we could go to our friend's wedding and besides me losing my cool because we were running late and I was driving in an unfamiliar city trying get from point "A" to point "B"... AND besides the fact that Sydney and I now need marriage counseling... everything went great. (No sarcasm there.) It definately didn't help that we had been up by 3:10 am that morning... and I was tired beyond words. BUT, we finally made it to the wedding and it was beautiful. We got back at about 10:30 pm and I went to bed shortly there after.

Sunday, we drove across town for brunch and got to meet the Mr. and Mrs. Genuine and the family. Hula Hubby and Genuine are brothers, so not only did we get to meet the Hula's but we were able to meet the Genuine family as well. It was a fun time... after the brunch, the Genuine's came over to the Hula's and we watched more football and just relaxed the whole afternoon. Sydney and I truly enjoyed the relaxing weekend. The hospitality that we experienced this weekend from Hula Doula and Hula Hubby was... well... I am completely at a loss for words. I knew that Sydney and I would get along with Hula Doula, but the surprise for me was getting along so well with her husband. I don't know why it was such a surprise... you would expect someone as cool as Hula being with a really cool guy as well... but I guess I expected to chat with Hula Doula all weekend with Sydney. Instead I found myself conversing with her husband for most of the the entire weekend... as we were driving home today, after the flight, I told Sydney, "I hope Hula wasn't offended that I hung out with her husband all weekend." Sydney said, "Are you kidding, she was surprised that he was so 'chatty' and that normally, he is a pretty quiet person."

ANYWAY... to sum up our experience... we were welcomed back at anytime... and of course the same welcome goes back the other direction. Without question, Sydney and I have made some new friends for life.

Thanks Hula's for making us feel so welcome. It was unbelievable how comfortable we felt in your home and how easily we were able to relate... not an awkward moment the entire weekend... (besides at the very end I went to give you (Hula Doula) a big hug and our heads kept going in the same direction and I felt like an awkward school boy trying to get his first kiss... yeah... that was awkward.) lol.