Hawaiian Heaven

Our first (and probably last) trip to Hawaii was heavenly! My sister was married on the beach in Maui (check my photo blog for a few pics of that), so we HAD to go. Too expensive to take the kids (thanks, Mom!). So, basically Spence and I had a forced vacation to the islands with no guilt involved. :)




Sunrise on top of the volcano Haleakala. Glorious! Afterwards we rode bikes down to the valley. About 24 miles of twists and turns and beautiful views.


Took a helicopter tour of Northwest Maui and the sea cliffs of the neighboring island, Molokai. Stunning and unforgettable!



Shave ice, of course! Yummy with cream!


We took a whole day and drove the road to Hana with Spence's brother and his wife. Such an adventure! Lots of hidden waterfalls you could hike to, out of the way beaches of different colored sands, amazing flora and fauna! The road was so narrow and twisty. Check out our GPS map!


Stopped by a small flower growing operation on the way. The wonderful caretaker gave each of us ladies a huge HEAVY bouquet of tropical flowers. I've never seen anything like it!


Everywhere we went on Maui there were little fruit stands from families selling the tropical bounty from the trees on their property. I never thought I'd see wild passion fruit rotting on the ground.




Lots of beaches and snorkeling. Amazing coral and fish! Such a thrill to swim with huge sea turtles too!


Now I know why it is such a custom for Polynesian women to wear flowers in their hair. Year-round blooming + amazing color + bounty. It seems like I always had a flower in my hair because everywhere you go there were beautiful blooms that had just fallen to the ground. Why not accessorize? Love it. I brought several flower clips home with me, so if you see me wearing one, well, "Aloha my bruddahs and sistahs!"






I received no fewer than five fresh leis while in the islands. Can't believe it! They were so beautiful and fragrant! One from the wedding, one from Spence at an amazing restaurant, one from this Tongan dude for playing drums with him at the Polynesian Cultural Center (that was a hoot!), and two from the luau that night. Such a beautiful tradition...


A conk shell was blown at the wedding. Here Spence is giving it a try. He could do it! I couldn't get it to sound, and looked like an idiot trying. Yours for only $34.99!



Awesome new show at the center. Just beautiful!


Flying out of Honolulu. You can see Waikiki and Diamond Head.
Lots of pictures, I know. Forgive me. I really tried to limit how many I posted. Just so much beauty there, and good times! Two thumbs up, five stars, and highly recommended!!