Farmgirl Paints: 'Til we meet again!

I have all kinds of random things I still want to share with you about our trip, so I'm going to try and squeeze it all in to one. last. post. Wish me luck!

Before I left I asked you what your favorite souvenir was to buy on vacation. I got lots of great answers and I managed to get a lot of what you suggested. I bought a children's book, post cards, jewelry, food, magnets, a Christmas ornament etc...

But my favorite thing was FREE. I brought back some sand, coral and shells. Then when I got home I found this hurricane vase at Target for $10.00. What a perfect way to display our little bit of nature from Hawaii.

I got this cute surfer girl outfit. Ya know... just tryin' to fit in;) These shorts are short. Took me out of my comfort zone slightly.

Remember the fragrance I always buy?? Well I found this in that cute little hippie town...Paia. It doesn't smell like Hawaii, but it just called my name. It's very sweet and feminine. I love it.

I had heard about this enormous banyan tree in Lahaina from my travel books, but to see it for yourself is amazing. It was planted in 1873 as a sapling, but now is 60 feet high and spans two-thirds of an acre. It has one center trunk and I think 12 other "trunks". Very strange to see trees from other trees.

The girl's got a kick climbing on it's huge branches.

No matter where we were or what we were doing...Little Chick would ask us, When we get home can we play cook?? The girls love to play pretend waitress with us. They get whatever they can find and pretend it's food. They take our orders and make menus. It's so cute..but a tad bit annoying too. Can I be honest?? We are in HAWAII. I don't want to sit in the room and play cook...why would they? Strange!

They probably love doing this because we really like to eat out! Unfortunately eating out goes hand in hand with working out...in our case. No matter where we travel we always find a gym. My Honey is a little fanatical about it actually. The one we found in Maui was HOT.

Can't ya tell?? Sexy...huh:)

Working hard! Why is it always 10X's harder on vacation?

It's the only thing that keeps us both from gaining loads of weight on vacation. Seriously I can pack on the pounds...working out balances me out:)

This restaurant is the reason we had to sweat so much. It's called the Gazebo. It was in one of my guide books, listed as a hidden treasure:) And treasure it was. It was right on the ocean at the Napili Shores resort.

The food was heavenly. Check out this fried rice.

Macadamia nut pancakes.

And my favorite...the Kalua pork plate. This is the traditional Hawaiian lunch. I think I might be part Hawaiian. Just looking at this is making me tear up. It was sooooo good. That is papaya seed dressing on the salad too btw.

I remember one day after we worked out, we went there and ordered practically everything off the menu and totally just pigged out. We all ate off each other's plates sampling everything. Afterwards Honey and I felt sick, but we were on vacation right. That's the only time it's alright to do that!

Fish Tacos from Maui Taco...yummy!!!

And the meal I will forever crave...marinated steak with blue cheese and a salad. We went to this little hole in the wall called the Main Street Bistro in Wailuku. It was the day we went to the needle and horseback riding. I asked some people at the gas station where to eat and they pointed us in the right direction. Seriously one of the best meals I've ever had!

All that food reminds me of this cute little couple we spotted at the Wailea Resort;) The large older gentleman and the girl popping out of her suit...they were together. Imagine that!!

We went to this resort because earlier in the week we heard they were filming a movie there. It's called Just go with it, and it stars Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler and Nicole Kidman. I was soooo hoping to catch a glimpse of one of them, but NADA. We did see the crew tearing down a set, but that's it.

Here's a shot of the chapel at the Grand Wailea. It was such a beautiful place. See those stormy skies in the background?? That's how the sky looked off and on throughout our stay...but just over the mountains. It was always sunny and pleasant by the beach. Isn't that weird?

This hotel is definitely where the rich and powerful stay...fancy schmancy! Do you think it's odd for me to be taking a picture of myself in the bathroom? I wonder if that lady thought so?

I love old churches. I didn't expect to see so many.

This is one of my favorite parts of the drive from Lahaina to the airport. Just beautiful!

We were fortunate to see a rainbow almost every day we were there. They always remind me of God keeping His promises. There is also a saying without rain there would be no rainbow. I love that.

Winding down...this is a house that was just down the street from our hotel. I thought....hmmm that would be a great spot for us. I'm sure it costs millions of dollars, but one can dream:)

I don't think you can visit Hawaii and not entertain thoughts of living there. It is so laid back and peaceful. There is a magical quality to it, that I think has to be all it's own. From the locals with their deep dark skin and long wavy hair; to the older surfer dudes...aged by the sand and sun. No one seemed to care what car their car or clothes looked like. Their lives are rich because they live life THERE.

Who wouldn't dream of a life far removed from the stresses of traffic, work, weather and everything familiar and known. We felt so unplugged...it was an incredible freeing feeling. Sounds lonely, but it was pure bliss. I guess that's exactly what vacation is supposed to be.