Aloha, Hawaii!!!

Jason and I spent last week in beautiful Hawaii celebrating our anniversary. We planed the trip over three years ago with our friends, Tonya & Kevin, who were also celebrating their anniversary. It was the most wonderful week and we were fortunate to have friends along to enjoy it with!

The Hotel

The entrance to the hotel was breathtaking with a waterfall that was so pretty. (these pictures don't do it justice) Just like Hawaii itself, there were flowers literally everywhere. There was a pond with stream that meandered all through the property with koi fish and flamingos. The view from the balcony from our room was unbelievable! We could see all the various pools, ocean, and mountains in the distance.

Our First Day in Hawaii

After departing Little Rock at 9:30 am, we arrived in Maui at 3:40pm! It was strange gaining five hours and we were a little wiped out from travel, but we still made time to have a signature Hawaiian Mai-Tai and fish tacos...Yummy!

The Pool

It was a strange feeling not having John Hall there...We missed him soooo much! I kept feeling like there was something that needed tending to, but the only person I had to worry about was myself. SO WEIRD! Anyhow, the pool was so pretty. It had all sorts of waterfalls and water slides and amazing views of the ocean.

Front Street

We got dressed and went to Front street to look at the shops and eat dinner. We found a place that was right over the ocean. The fish was so fresh and so tasty! (see picture below!)

Boys Golf

Jason and Kevin played golf at Kapalua, The Plantation Course. He said it was very pretty and challenging. I asked him to take the camera, and he begrudgingly agreed to, so I was happy when they returned with photos from their day.

The Beach

While the boys played golf, Tonya and I went to the spa and later to enjoy the ocean. (I just accidentally deleted two pictures of her, but since this post is so incredibly long, you'll just have to trust she was there too!)

check out the rainbow!

After our day of golf, spa, and beach we went to eat at a restaurant down from our hotel where we enjoyed live entertainment. It was so fun. I'm not sure what the dances were called, but they were so neat to watch!

More fun in the sun...

Sushi

We went to a sushi restaurant, Sansei, to eat. It's supposed to be the best on the island and I thought it definitely lived up to the recommendation! Everything was so fresh it almost melted in your mouth. HOLY COW it was goooood!!!!

Road to Hana

Jason arranged for us to have a Jeep wrangler to tool around in while we were there. It was the perfect vehicle to take to Hana. The "Road to Hana" is VERY curvy, hilly, steep, and narrow....but SO BEAUTIFUL! There were parts in the drive that you would have to yield for oncoming traffic because it would merge into one lane. There were all sorts of waterfalls, plush vegetation, and incredible views along the way!

Since there aren't many places to stop on the road, we found a little road stand to eat.

Ah, Coconut Candy....at a stand next to where we had lunch, was a coconut candy stand. They had all sorts of varieties, but my favorites were the original and vanilla. The candy was basically dried fresh coconut topped with caramelized sugar cane and vanilla bean.

Road to Hana...WARNING...This video may make you as car sick as actually being there...

When we arrived in Hana, we stopped to fill up on gas. I saw this church and thought it was pretty!

Black Sand Beach

The road to Hana ends at a black sand beach. We enjoyed an afternoon there exploring the blow holes, caves, water, beach, and taking lots of pictures!

I thought this plant was funny...it's sad that people will put graffiti on just about anything!

(notice, the little crab at my feet....sooooo scary!)

Our Favorite Place!

The boys would grow tired of the sun a little earlier than the girls. Kevin is a HUGE Lakers fan, so it worked out well there was a bar right around the corner where they could watch the playoff games. As it turns out, this resturaunt is owned by the same people who own Sansei and they had a full sushi menu. When Tonya and I would wander down to meet the guys, they would usually be running a half-price sushi special and we would DIG IN! I cannot tell you how fantastic this place was. We were regulars!

Mama's Fish House

Kevin and Tonya came to this place on their honeymoon. They couldn't believe how much it has grown since they were last there. The scenery was awesome (check out the wind surfing below) and the food was beyond good. I got a traditional Hawaiian meal which consisted of mahi-mahi with drizzled coconut milk, pork, passion fruit, sweet potato, roasted banana, poi, and salmon salsa. Jason got seared ahi tuna and loved it.

The last day... was spent soaking up the Hawaiian sun and enjoying a lime/vanilla snowcone.

We went to eat later that night and enjoyed more Polynesian entertainment and good food!

It was finally fime to say good-bye to paradise which we did with a bang with one last meal of Kona Burgers topped with Teriyaki sauce and grilled pineapple.

So long Hawaii....we'll see you again someday!

Hawaii was tons of fun and such a relaxing vacation. Everything was so beautiful there. Everywhere you looked, everything you tasted, and even smelled were incredible. I can't say it enough...it was beyond my wildest expections. I can't wait to go back...and bring along our little buddy.

We did bring back some goodies for our little guy to enjoy...

The only drawback to the trip...We missed John Hall so much! We are so grateful to Muddie (Jason's mom) for being so sweet to make the trip to Arkansas to watch him. He loved having his Muddie here to spoil him! Also, we are thankful to Aunt Kim, Uncle Adam, Adalie, and James for keeping John half the time as well. I know he loved getting in all sorts of playing time with his cousins! I'm sure three was a load, but we were sure glad you kept him! Also, to Aunt Jamie, Uncle Andrew, and Sam for swimming and pizza. It's such a true blessing to have such wonderful family who love him and want to watch him while we went on vacation. THANK YOU!!! WE APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH!