Home Sweet Home

Today marks the first time I've ever left a trip without feeling remotely envious of the people who remained on vacation. I feel so lucky to get to go home with Lance to see the two most important people on the planet! 

It's going to be a long travel day. 4 hours to LAX, 3 hour layover in LA, then off to Charlotte and finally to Louisville. We'll be home around 11 tomorrow.

And, this makes it a little easier:

Ha! Actually, I'd be willing to ride in the jump seat if I had to.

Aloha, Hawaii! You hold such a special place in our hearts!!

Our Last Day

Today we decided to take it easy...visit Lahaina, about 45 minutes from our hotel, and then spend the remainder of our afternoon by the pool. We made dinner reservations at Ka'ana Kitchen, a restaurant at the Andez Hotel, for later in the evening.

It was a perfect last day. It's been an amazing adventure, but it's time to go home. We absolutely cannot wait to see our babes!

We enjoyed our morning in Lahaina. We were especially impressed with one of the largest banyan trees in the US, which towers over almost a whole city block!

Planted in 1873, its root system spans 66 acres!

We loved our leisurely afternoon. Drinks poolside, an afternoon nap, followed by dinner at a neighboring hotel. 

We took some end of the trip photos before we left for dinner:

Happy Anniversary to my beloved husband and the most amazing partner I could have ever hoped for! What an adventure to begin the next 10! I love you so very much! 

The Road to Hana

So, today was our journey to Hana. It was an all day adventure, with lots of twists and turns. It is a journey of trial and tribulation, too many tourists and people who like drive as if they're mad (as in crazy). Hana taught us both a few lessons, and the saying really rings true - it's all about the journey, not the destination.

It began here, in the town of Paia, which is a sweet little place with one stop light. 

Our first stop was the Garden of Eden. It is supposed to be one of Maui's most beautiful botanical gardens, and I'm sure it is. We took in a few sites there and moved onward. Here are some photos:

Here are a few roadside overlook photos of a little farm on the way:

And, suddenly, you look up, and you're halfway there. Of course, you need to celebrate by eating ice cream at the Halfway to Hana store:

We listened to a CD as we drove the road, and it was a helpful way to lead as we went...here's a random stop we didn't plan to make around mile marker 20:

My favorite stop was around Mile Markerr 21, Waikani Falls (3 Bears Falls). 

It was a rocky hike down, but we made it, and we got to swim in the falls. It was so much fun!

We liked these other falls on the way down...Lance tried to make them look like icicles with the camera. I think he did it:

We loved this spot...looking down into a waterfall. It was hard to get good photos, but I so wanted to find a way down to get into the beautiful blue pool:

The next stop was Wainanapanapa State Wayside Park. It was (yet another) extremely crowded stop, but the black sand beach and sea caves were pretty cool:

Next stop was Hamoa Beach, arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in Maui. It was a pleasant, tranquil spot along the journey. 

Wailua Falls is considered one of the most accessible falls along the road. It's a beauty, but hard to photograph in its entirety:

The Road to Hana is a winding one, full of discoveries...another memorable Hawaiian day. 

Haleakala: House of the Sun

There are a few travel experiences I've had that are so momentous, they literally took my breath and brought tears to my eyes. The Sistine Chapel, Ruby Beach, and most recently, the Na Pali Coast come to mind. I love being reminded of the beauty of our Earth.

This morning was another one. Haleakala Crater, House of the Sun, sits at an elevation of 10,023 feet above Maui's coastal areas. We see the sun change our world every day and think so little of it. Today was a vivid reminder of the magic the sun brings to our little lives each day.

The drive in and of itself is a major adventure...especially for us. En route, at about 4 am, we were pulled over for speeding. 58 in 40 mph zone. So frustrating! It made it even worse that we were trying to get to the Crater before the sun rose. 

We pressed on, and we're both so glad we did. The experience was one we'll never forget.

The drive is treacherous, a slow 30 mph drive up a mountain with terrifying hairpin curves, and no guardrails. My stomach was churning on the way up, and I had to force myself not to look over the side - the lights below became increasingly low and distant.

It was freezing cold up there, probably 40 degrees or so, and it was difficult to get positioned for photos. When the sun arose, a Hawaian woman sang a tribute to the Sun, which made the experience even more moving. 

When we arrived:

When the sun rose:

It was awesome!

We watched the sun set tonight, too. Another beautiful thing we don't often take the time to do:

Dinner at Ko tonight - a restaurant at our hotel. The food was some of the best we've had since getting here, and I especially love talking with the locals who work here. Our server this evening was born and raised in Maui, and told us she never knew until she started working at Ko that sweet potatoes came in any color other than purple. Ha!

Maui!!

We left for Maui early yesterday morning. Island hopping is really fun...just a little bit of work. We were sad to leave Kaua'i, but excited to experience a different island.

We arrived right on time - it was a super short flight, and then we picked up our rental:

We drove over to our hotel, Fairmont Kea Lani, and had to wait for a little bit for our room. We ate lunch and went swimming...Maui feels so much hotter than Kaua'i!

We took a walk on the Beach and decided to go to bed early because we're planning to get up at 3 am to watch the sunrise from Haleakala National Park. 

More camera experimenting with sunset:

Really looking forward to Haleakala tomorrow morning!

Discovering Beach Chairs

Today we promised not to do anything. Well, after we visited the local toy store to buy toys for the kids, including Puff the Magic Dragon, which was written about Hanalei Bay. Cade was so excited to receive this photo:

It is the first day we really sat at the hotel beach for hours, ordered French fries and did nothing. 

It took us awhile to adjust - we've been so busy we didn't even know where the pool bathrooms were! And, we briefly flirted with the idea of paddle boarding in Hanalei Bay. We didn't, though, and I'm glad. 

Here was our view for the day:

It was good. Ok, great. 

Dinner at the hotel tonight.

We've been tinkering with long exposure photos with the tripod. Here are a couple of our favorites from our room:

Tomorrow, off to Maui!