Hawaii Part 2

Our trip was a total dream and we absolutely know how lucky we are to have gone on this trip.

On our last morning, we did a short hike around our hotel to a place called Dragon's Tooth and watched some insane waves crash against the rocks.

 

 

 

After a final breath of warm air, we buckled up for the 12 hour flight home.

Whale Watching

 February is the peak whale watching season off the coast of Maui. The shallow waters make for the perfect breeding grounds for these enormous creatures. Nathan and I woke up at 3:30am in order to board the Pacific Whale Foundation's boat for the sunrise tour. The whales were very active and even the guide couldn't believe all the action we saw. I was amazed I was able to get any photos - the whales come and go so quickly, by the time someone says, "there's one!" it's already gone. Plus, the boat was very bouncy and most of my pictures were blurred (because I was using a telephoto lens).

Whale watching was definitely a highlight of our trip. We arrived back at the dock at 9am and we decided that we would walk to Lahaina (approx 4 miles) to go for lunch. We had dinner reservations at a really popular restaurant, but we decided to change our plans to lunch since we didn't want to have to take an uber back to Lahaini later in the day (approx $40 uber fair and 35 minute drive).

I underestimated how far 4 miles was - especially when walking in sand, walking beside busy traffic (with no sidewalk), through resorts, not in clothes designed for a workout, in rising temperatures as the day wore on.

The mai tai I ordered once we arrived was well deserved.

Hawaii Part 1

We just spent six amazing days in Hawaii. Nathan and I have never taken a beach vacation and we really excited to visit Maui. Nathan had his trip, meals, and hotel covered through his work since he was there to attend an Internal Medicine conference (from 6am-12pm) each day. I followed along because I really wanted to go to Hawaii!

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton. It was a beautiful (huge) hotel right on the water. It was about 85 degrees the whole week so perfect for hiking and exploring without getting too hot.

When I looked at a map of Maui before we left it didn't seem that big, and it's really not, but there is only one road that goes around the outer edges of the island so it takes a very long time to get anywhere.

We didn't leave the hotel except to go on a sunrise whale watching expedition and to have dinner at a nearby restaurant.

There were so many times I wished that Allison was with us - she loves water and swimming, and it was such a treat to be able to go on this trip, but then I got to workout each morning in the high end gym, take hula lessons on the terrace, do yoga on the lawn and go on a sunrise hike along the shore (all provided by the hotel), and the feeling quickly passed. Plus, I knew she was having a wonderful time at home with my parents.

 

 

 

Snow Days

Unlike when we were kids, school is cancelled the night before rather than the morning of a cancellation. I understand this (finding someone to watch your kid because work isn't cancelled), but I also don't understand how you can cancel school for weather that MAY NOT even happen. Which is what happened today - so we lose a day of school, parents might lose wages, and now we have our kids at home on a gorgeous day. Also, when we were kids, the school was always open so parents could still go to work. The day was just treated as a catch-up day or a fun day.

Anyway, I had a whole day to fill today and Allison was feeling crafty so after a morning or coloring, painting, and baking, and doing several science experiments, we moved on to embroidery. I made a few patterns for her and she chose the narwhal.

Jello Rock Candy

She is getting much better at her back-stitch and I'm amazed she's able to sit still for nearly 15 minutes to work.

 

Holiday Pictures

 Driving the tractor.

 Allison loved to climb on this pile of rubble.

Most of the mornings looked like this - it was very foggy.

 

On this day it rained and we didn't have any umbrellas but we did have some plastic tubs my parents used while moving.

 

 When we finally got some snow, Allison and I went for a long walk around the farm. We spent most of our time in the wooded area near the lake.

 

 

 

We found a deer carcass that Allison was very interested in. She insisted we bring the jaw bone home.

We found a little water passage and Allison insisted on climbing down to check it out.

My parents are working at sending all of my belongings to KC so we spent some time going through all the things I've packed away over the years. While we were sorting, Allison found my grandfather's old violin's and wanted to try them out.