Coney's of Volcano 2025 Christmas Letter
Mele Kalikimaka 2025
(Glad you found us through the QR code)
What a year! We were fortunate to have so many memorable events in 2025 that we decided to do an electronic letter this year. Where do we start? There are so many creative Christmas letters, but we will highlight our monthly events as they unfolded.
January- The eruption at Halema'uma'u crater that started on December 23rd, 2024, continued into the new year with almost weekly appearances. John celebrated his 35th year at UH Hilo. Janet got to meet the Obama's when they came to dine at Kilauea Lodge. What amazing people they are! We decided to go with an all-electric vehicle when John's car was totaled after someone hit us from behind. Luckily, nobody was seriously hurt. And, we said aloha to our last pet "Kitten" who brought us so much joy and happiness for her 16 and a half years.
February- Janet celebrated her 35th year at Kilauea Lodge!
March- We had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center here in Volcano and see the Hawaiian Crow "ʻAlalā". The invitation was through the Hawai'i Nei Art Exhibition.
April- We escaped for a getaway to Maui, which is always fun!
May- Janet retired from Kilauea Lodge after a 35-year career and the last 7 years as the General Manager. The company threw a fantastic party, and Jessie, sister Sal, and niece Marisa flew over from O'ahu to surprise her. We then headed to Maui to join all the kids, along with friends, to continue the celebration. It was definitely a month-long party.
June- Janet returned to Maui to spend time with sister Heidi, who was visiting, and brother Craig. We also found time to go backpacking to Keauhou, camping at Kapapala Ranch, diving (Janet got to experience her first bait ball, which was super cool), and just enjoying the outdoors.
July- We did the finishing touches on our campervan "Ka'a Nui" and shipped it to San Diego. On July 28th (Jessie's 28th birthday), we headed to the mainland to pick up the van for the first part of our adventure. We also got a call from Jessie that day letting us know that she and Branden were officially engaged. We are so excited for them!
August- John retired from UH Hilo after 35 years (12 years in the Physics and Astronomy department and 23 years with the Marine Option Program and the Marine Science department). We spent time in California with sister Nubee and 'ohana. It was then off to Oregon, where we spent time with our friend Bob and did several wonderful hikes. Found our first Thomas Dambo troll just outside of Portland. These trolls are incredible. Each one is different and made out of recycled material. If you are not familiar with Thomas Dambo, we would suggest checking out his website and see if there is a troll near you. It was then off to Washington, where we spent time with sister Heidi and visited Steven, and got to meet Tracy. Our kids surprised John with a retirement party. Jessie and Nicholas celebrated long-distance from O'ahu. They had a wonderful cake with our photo of us 40+ years ago on it, and flew in a maile and orchid lei. Steven then treated John to a Weird Al concert. They both had a great time. Janet then headed off to Wisconsin to spend time with her friend Suzy and her 'ohana, while John spent time with friends and testing out the campervan.
September- We were home briefly before our next, bigger and longer road trip. Jessie had work on the Big Island and then extended her stay, which we loved. We were back on O'ahu at the end of the month for niece Calla's wedding and got time with all the kids, well, except for Steven. Seeing the family for this beautiful occasion was super special. It was them back to California to start our adventure!
October and November found us driving from California to Maine and back to Arizona. We put on 10,500 miles, crossed into 31 states, found 25 Thomas Dambo trolls, experienced 16 National Parks and Monuments (although some were very limited due to the government shutdown and lack of staff). We returned to Hawaii on November 11th. In November. We blogged and took pics of our trip <Link>, and did a ton of fun Relive videos as well at <Link>. Jessie and Branden purchased their home on O'ahu. It's a beautiful 3-bedroom with 2 1/2 bathrooms, and we got to fly over for the blessing.
December- Finds us preparing to celebrate Christmas with all our kids on O'ahu at Jessie and Branden's new home. We have so much to be thankful for this year and grateful to have all of you in our lives. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, new year!
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou,
John and Janet
coneyohana@gmail.com
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| cute janet toasts |
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