ALOHA!

Hawaii has been one place that both Paul and I have wanted to visit for a long time! A few years back we had the opportunity to go with our friends to Maui but instead decided to have another child--Caleb instead of Hawaii was a great trade-off. Anyway, when these same friends approached us last fall about possibly going with them to Maui this summer, we jumped at the idea.

Our friend's parents own a place in Lahaina and let us stay there for the week that we visited. That meant we had to get ourselves there and decide which activities we wanted to do. Our great trip planners (P & K) got on the research wagon and started watching airfare prices. Once we booked our tickets, we then got busy booking other activities and making plans for the week.

The highlights of our week included relaxing, going to the beach and snorkeling, relaxing, swimming in the pool, reading books (even Paul read the new Dan Brown book while we were there), relaxing, playing games, eating a lot of wonderful food, seeing some amazing scenery and sights, catching up with friends, and more relaxing. The big theme of the week was relaxation.

Having no children with us helped with that even more. What a joy it was to just decide to head to the beach, sunscreen ourselves, grab our bags, and leave! And then when we got there, we just sat in our beach chairs and talked and read books and enjoyed the ocean...never once having to keep an eye on anybody!!! (Thanks, Grandpas and Grandmas, for watching the boys!)

To make this possible, though, I flew with the boys to Fargo and left them with my family a few days before our big trip. I flew back home for a day to finish packing, and then we all headed out of San Diego on June 21 landing in Kahului later that afternoon.

We stopped at Wal-Mart and Costco to get our basic necessities and then headed to Lahaina (about a 40 minute drive). The condo where we stayed was beautiful and spacious with the most gorgeous view of the ocean. It was easy to call it home for the week we were there! And we had the best tour guides on the island who showed us around all week.

Food:

~Ululani's Shave Ice in downtown Lahaina (thinking about it makes me drool!)

~Leilani's for Hula Pie and dinner

~Aloha Mixed Plate

~Lahaina Grill

~All the meals prepared in the condo

~Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with granola bars at the beach

~The hole-in-the-wall donut shop in Makawao

The Ocean:

~We couldn't get over the extreme blue-ness of the water
~Snorkeling (It took me a bit to get over the claustrophobic feel of the snorkeling mask and not being able to take a really deep breath nor breathe out of my nose, but I did eventually get out and marvel at the beauty of God's underwater creation!)

~The reef was spectacular

~Amazing sea creatures including sea turtles (swimming within a couple feet of us and much larger than I expected!), tropical fish galore (my favorite was the Moorish Idol--"Gil" from Finding Nemo), octopi, and a snowflake moray eel

~Nakalele Blowhole

~The Olivine Pools

Other Activities:

~We went on a zipline tour partway up to Haleakala. This included zipping down five ziplines including one that was 750 feet long. We LOVED this and would do it again if given the chance.

~Another day, we went kayaking which included snorkeling in some coral gardens that could only be reached by boating in or climbing down the sides of the cliffs. Paul and I rode in a double kayak and worked together okay once we got the hang of it, and we did not tip at all!

~Warren and Annabelle's (a magic show) where we ended up getting the best seats in the house--front and center--since we were picked to sit at the magician's table and "help" with his tricks. Our friends were giddy just thinking of our being up there (they had been there before and knew what we were getting into), and Paul thought it sounded fantastic. The one who was a little leery of it (ME!) ended up sitting at the magician's left and, of course, got called on to help with most of the tricks. It ended up being a great time, and being in the spotlight was not as bad as I thought it would be. We'll just say that I ended the show by pulling a $100 bill out of a lemon!

We ate well all week but dressing up and going out for dinner at Lahaina Grill was a highlight of the week. I have always scoffed at those fancy chefs who put a tiny tidbit of food on a plate and decorate it with greens and some fancy sauce on the sides of the plate and then charge an arm and a leg. After eating there, I admit there is something to their talent at pulling amazing flavors out of the food! Wow! Everything was so delicious. (The place was so fancy that one of the attendants...not our server but one of the people who hovers and takes care of all the extras like refilling drinks and more...refolded my napkin and set it on my plate for me while I was in the bathroom.)

We returned home on June 30 (actually early morning on July 1 because of some complications with our airplane). Most people don't want to leave Maui, but after sitting in the airport for nearly four hours waiting for our plane to be repaired, we were ready to be home. Our ride changed plans and picked us up in LA at 1:00 a.m. and drove us home.

The next day Paul flew to Minneapolis to get the boys (who finished their week with his side of the family), and I headed to camp for a day. What a wonderful week! Thanks, Friends, for sharing this trip with us!!! And thanks to our parents who watched the boys and gave them a wonderful week in the Midwest while we were gone. Below is a picture video that Paul created. Enjoy!