'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.

Aloha my sweet Hawaii...until we meet again:)

Have a blessed day.

BTW I finally got all my glass pendant necklaces listed in my Etsy store.

Check it out:)

The Luau

Hi girlies, I hope you all had a terrific Mother's Day. I know I did. My Chick's spoiled me with homemade cards and craft projects, and Honey made us breakfast and lunch! He pulled out all the stops and made BOTH things he knows how to make...eggs and spaghetti. It was a good day indeed:)

I'm winding down with the Hawaii trip pics. I just have maybe one more post after this one. I don't want to say goodbye:(

I thought you might get a kick out of our luau experience. It's obviously a must do while you are there. For the luau I splurged and bought the girls and I leis. They smelled sooo good. Traditionally the leis represent love, respect, reverence, congratulations and welcome. They are given with a kiss. We made sure to do it right and daddy "leid" us with a special kiss:) I also read somewhere that it's a bad omen to leis a pregnant woman...jeopardizes the health of the baby. Who knew?? They have some interesting beliefs.

Normally I do not get in front of people. It's just a fear of mine. But when the hostess invited us to go on stage to learn the hula, I was on my feet in seconds. Don't know what came over me really:) Honey took some goofy pics of me and the girls. I make some really weird faces. What's up with that?

I was so glad the weather was nice for the luau. We were right on the ocean and it can get pretty windy. The weather was pretty cooperative.

A cool part of the luau was the Imu oven. They rub a pig with rock salt and then put it in an underground pit over some heated stones and cover with leaves and such. In 6-8 hours, voila...tender Kahlua pork. Did I mention I love Kahlua pork. YUMMY!!!

One of my favorite parts of the evening was when the hostess said the sweetest blessing over the meal. It really touched my heart and instantly made me feel warm all over. It was just a simple prayer, but it was so unexpected.

The performance was really really good. Beautiful dancers, many costume changes and loads of fun for all of us.

It was at this part of the evening that it got a little more interesting. The men dancers came out in these loin clothes with...it looked like NOTHING underneath. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. We were in the front row and they were just a spinning and swinging around. Honey at one point covered Little Chick's eyes. The lady next to me and I were just giggling nervously. It was sooo funny.

They ended the night with a fire show. Gotta love that!!!

Look how tiny her little waist is? I'm thinking hula dancing might be the way to go...HA:) We all left the luau on cloud nine. It was just a magical evening...thoroughly enjoyed this true Hawaiian experience.

Have a blessed day.

Surfers and Hippie Town USA

It's raining and cold here today...ugh! What better way to spend it than talking about my favorite little hippie town...Paia:)

My Coastal Living magazine told us to visit this lookout right outside of Paia, called Hookipa Point and to say it was the highlight of the day is not an overstatement. I love surfers. Who doesn't right?? Remember the movies Blue Crush and Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze?? It was like that...almost:)

Surfers everywhere.

Taking full advantage of the view;)

In the afternoon when the trade winds picked up it switched over to para sailing and kite surfing. Seriously do these people have a death wish?? There is some major bravado that goes along with anything in the ocean. It's a scary place. There are big critters out there and deep deep places....I shudder just thinking about it! But isn't it beautiful? I can kind of see why they do it.

Later we stopped by the famous Mama's Fish House. Everyone told us to go there...except the concierge of our hotel. And what does she know right??

It had lots of photo opportunities.

Beautiful...jaw dropping views.

But the prices were a little high! We knew that going in and ate something first. Isn't that crazy?! But I had to see what all the fuss was about.

This is part of the lunch menu. Everything is so fresh that they actually tell you who caught it and where:) We got the macadamia nut crab cakes.

It was recommended in my trusted magazine of course:) It was expensive at $20.00...but oh so good, and I do believe that was caviar on top. I tried it...Honey passed:) So we got a couple of appetizers and a kid's meal and faired pretty well. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Crossed that must-do off our list.

Next we hit the Uno Gelato place in Paia, because we were still a little hungry;) I'd read somewhere that gelato is the healthiest dessert out there. Not sure about that, but it was really really good. The lady at the counter said they make it with milk instead of cream. So that's almost healthy right??

I got the Kona coffee gelato with macadamia nuts of course. I ate them every chance I could get:)

Then we just explored the town. It had a lot of really cute shops and art galleries. It was a nice contrast to all the touristy shops in Lahaina. They had some more unique things.

This turned out a little blurry...bummer. I loved this painting. It had raised up clear areas that looked like water bubbles on it. Orange is one of my favorite colors too. Very interesting and unique:)

This mermaid was beautiful too. But her price tag was just a tad steep...

OUCH!!!

We saw lots of interesting people...long hippie dresses, dreadlocks, guitars and backpacks strapped to their backs. I love to people watch. This picture really isn't of Honey... I was trying to be subtle and take some people pics.

Got this fun necklace in one of the stores. And surprisingly it didn't cost very much at all...score! It was colorful and a little beachy all in one:)

This bathroom door was all chippy and worn. Perfect backdrop for my imitation of a hippie love child. I'd fit in with the locals of Paia...right?? Oh just lie:)

Have a blessed day.