August

Quite a bit happened in August but I'm just going to highlight the biggest event we took part in.  Team Tully went to Hawaii!!  Going to Hawaii is a big and special event all on its own but going to Hawaii for the reason we went to Hawaii is even more special!  As I have mentioned Luke loves to play Pokemon (the card game) and he has gotten quite good at it.  He plays locally with a great group of people where we live and this past year we told him that as long as school remained his priority we would support and encourage him further by traveling to some regional tournaments.  We went to Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Orlando.  Luke did really well and earned himself an amazing world ranking, a sponsorship, and an invitation to the Pokemon Worlds Competition in Honolulu, Hawaii!  We are so proud of him and it was such an amazing experience.  For his division there were less than 400 players that earned an invite...in the world!  There were over 50 countries represented at the competition itself.  The Worlds event included the Pokemon card game competition, video game competition, and Pokemon Go competition.  There were just over 3,000 competitors total (for all the events).  But....nearly 25,000 people descended on Honolulu to be a part of it all!  Spectators and Pokemon fans from all over the world came to Hawaii and were welcomed by the Pokemon company in style!  I have never seen anything like it!  There was an entire village set up within a resort right on the beach that was decked out in all things Pokemon...there were games and activities and food and shops and panel discussions and pop up events and galleries and museums and drone shows and fireworks all for the Pokemon community.  So amazing!  We are so proud of Luke and we truly soaked up the fun and excitement and Hawaii beauty for a few very special days!

 

Just a beautiful place!  Diamond Head in the background - did we climb it?  Yes, we sure did!

A nearly empty beach on an early morning and a beautiful rainbow to greet us.

 Luke and his best Pokemon buddy, Brandon!  So proud of these guys!

We all went to Pearl Harbor and spent the morning just in awe of this time in history, of those men and women who were here, and we paid our respects.  It was an amazing and powerful experience.

Our sunset view before the drone show. 

 

Just the coolest thing!  We loved it!

What a fun way to welcome all the competitors and fans! 

Catching up with friends!

Our very favorite PokePeople!  :-)

L and I did spend a lot of time in the convention center but we also had plenty of time to wander and enjoy Hawaii!  To celebrate our arrival and while Luke was practicing before the big event we stopped by a local brewery. 

This is the back of Luke's t-shirt and these are all of the countries represented by the competitors - truly the most wonderfully international experience. 

We did not have great Opening Ceremony seats so this is just a photo of the big screen we were watching but they did an amazing job of honoring and celebrating the culture and history of Hawaii and it was a wonderful way to thank them for hosting!

L and I made our way toward the center of the island and into the rainforest.  So pretty and so different than the beach landscape.  Just gorgeous! 

Manoa Falls

 What the young people were doing, so we tried...Nailed it.

 

 

 

Looking back toward the beach, Diamond Head in the distance.

The canal crossing on our daily (and nightly) walk to and from the convention center. Gorgeous.
 

More rainforest wandering for L and I

Nothing like walking through a lava tube to get us to the start of the Diamond Head trail

Views on the way up

Halfway there!

We could just barely see Moloka'i in the distance! 

View from the bunker at the top, such a cool vantage point and quite the gymnastics feat to get out of this thing. 

Just a gorgeous view from the top!  And L and I went for an early morning run the next day on that cliff-side road you see

Looking down along the rim of the crater

A great vantage point of Waikiki Beach

We decided to walk all the way back to town and I am so glad we did because we got to walk through this amazing farmer's market of fresh produce and seafood.  Yum!

Not something you see everyday...a SPAM vending machine.  Luke thought it was equal parts gross and hilarious. 

Our last morning on the island.  The rainbow greeted us on our walk to the convention center

One last snorkel to see the sea turtles.  Also, Luke is tall! 

 

Self proclaimed "Best PokeParents"!  Ha!  It was our joy to watch Luke at this event, what an amazing opportunity for him to meet new people, learn from new people, and to just be a part of this international community.  TIME well spent. 

 

And even after playing Pokemon for 3.5 days straight, these two spent our (multiple) travel delays home playing Pokemon in the airports!  A true love of the game!  

Thank you to the Pokemon community for supporting Luke and our family with this incredible trip and opportunity.  We are grateful!