since we went for a funeral, it wasn't planned at all and so everything we had to get done (flights, hotel, car rental) was sort of last minute. the week before, we had just gotten approved to be off of work and decided that we would all go together as a family. we grabbed that opportunity to be away for a bit and ran with it! because it's not very often that we get to travel and experience new things away from our little rock.
I knew that there was no way our family could make it to HNL in the morning, so I booked a flight at noon...maximizing our time in maui - yet not waking up at 4am to attempt a 7am flight. no sireee, not for us. we woke up on Friday morning ready and stoked for our 4 day trip!!
we made it to the airport and our gate an hour before our flight departed...luckily, inter-island flights are easier to manage. the kids were very well behaved, excited, and didn't seem phased with the airplane ride - of course the flight was only about 25 minutes long, but who's counting? they were still little angels during those 25 minutes. haha. it seriously felt like as soon as we got on and up in the air - we were landing already. deflated...
we stayed at the aston kaʻānapali shores hotel near lahaina. I didn't know it at the time, but our room was actually more like a one-bedroom condo. it had a bedroom, living room, kitchen and dining area! I loved the kitchen because it was fully functional with plates, pots, utensils, appliances and errrfang!! so after the flight, sorting out the car rental (free upgrade to a van!), figuring out directions, driving an hour to the hotel, checking in (free upgrade to an ocean view! mmm-hmm, i'm just sweet like that, so peeps be hookin' me uuuup. free of charge. lol!), and getting settled into our room, we went to the local grocery store - across the street - and bought a bunch of food so we wouldn't have to eat out for each meal. i'm hoping we saved money this way because we ended up spending $118 for really only about THREE days worth of meals. I was pretty shocked because we didn't get a whole lot of food, but I guess that's the price you pay for staying in a resort-type town. happy to say though, that aside from the mayo and honey condiments - we ate and drank EVERYTHING we bought! plus more...heehee!
after we had a bite to eat on our first day there, we noticed that the sun was already going down. so we all went down to the beach to watch the sunset. and OMG - it was seriously one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever witnessed. I recall nice sunsets on Oahu every now and then, Utah had some pretty ones...but this one - absolutely breathtaking. even when I was younger and we went to maui for vacation, I remember watching some memorable sunsets during those trips. I think and I'm hoping that this will be a memorable moment for my children too. it was just a beautiful and natural way to enjoy time together with each other.
Saturday was spent entirely with the kahaialii family. the funeral was for one of Brandon's cousins. in the morning we went to the viewing, and the services started in the afternoon. after that, there was the procession of cars which traveled down front street of lahaina (kind of like Waikīkī, but more old town, classic Hawaii). then the burial. it's always sad saying goodbye to someone, especially when they leave behind children. thankfully though, we can take comfort in the plan of salvation and the knowledge that we'll see those that have passed again someday. after the burial we went to the beach for some grindz with the entire kahaialii crew. ahonui and nahe had a blast swimming and running around freely with their cousins.
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| the view outside the chapel from the funeral services...purrrrty! |
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| nahe wouldn't sit still during the services, so I took her outside to let her wiggles free. |
the next day was wide open with no plans after church. so we seized the opportunity and traveled to the maui ocean center in Wailuku. I loved seeing the kids' expressions watching tiger sharks, sting rays, seahorses, and even little bitty fishes doing their thang in the aquarium tanks. the ocean center is awesome with a floor to ceiling glass wall allowing you to sit and watch all the marine life swim around. it also has a see-through tunnel that you can walk through and feel like you're in the water with the fishes. so cool!
after that we spontaneously decided to drive up to the Haleakalā volcanic crater. this drive took forEVERRR but it was so beautiful. only Brandon and ahonui went outside and walked around because, well, nahe had a little accident during the long drive. and I wasn't prepared to let our two-year-old walk around in the chilly high-altitude air in wet clothes. but we still had a good time! can't let a little urine bring you down! =)
after the long drive back to kaʻānapali, I was so tired. but the kids weren't done yet. they begged us the entire day to go swimming in the pool...and what's a vacay without swimming in the hotel pool? so we got them all changed into their swim gear and down to the pool we went. neither of them can swim yet, so we had to supervise them the entire time. which is no biggie, i'm thinking that in a few years or so they'll be able to swim and won't want to hang around mommy & daddy in the pool anymore. i'll be longing for times like these...so both Brandon & I savored these precious moments alone with our babies.
after the pool and baths for everyone, we were famished. so I asked Brandon where he wanted to eat for dinner (yiip, all of our groceries were gone already)...he said he didn't know. so i suggested a good place that was just down the road from the hotel...you know, just your everyday steak & seafood place. so the hubby agreed. little did he know that Roy's was a little more than the "everyday" type eatery. i tricked him! hehehe. my justification? honestly how often would we be eating at a place like this? and when are we ever this CLOSE to Roy's without annoying traffic and confusing directions to get there? and hellooooo, we're on VACATION! right? rooooiiight.
but then just a few bites into the crab cake and spicy tuna roll appetizers, he was a happy camper. those grindz are NO JOKE! delicious, satisfying, and wonderful dinner experience overall. i would definitely go back to Roy's - if only the restaurant here wasn't so far away and tucked deep into the depths of city traffic. yuck. one day...one day. nahe fell asleep at the dinner table. so you knooooow it was really ʻono!!
when we got back to the hotel - i knocked OUUUT. and apparently ignored the fact that our 9am return flight meant that we needed to be ready and check-out of the hotel by 6:15am. so this amazing dude down there washed our dirty laundry, folded, and packed everything up for everybody. he got everything ready so all we had to do was eat breakfast, brush teeth, and get dressed the next morning. yup, he's a keeper.
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| a hui hou, e Maui! |
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