Maui Vacation



Maui in the morning

 We made it to Maui and back with the child things, and we had a really good time on our little vacation! For some reason, my darling husband scheduled us to leave Oahu at 5 in the morning, so the vacation started very early. I am tempted to complain about having to wake up at 3 a.m., but it was kinda cool to see the sunrise from the airplane. We arrived in Maui just after the sun did, and then the fun began!

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. If anyone is looking for a place to stay in Maui, here's what we thought of it: the grounds were beautiful, the room was very nice, the staff was oh-so-friendly and helpful (almost indulgent), the pool was great, the food was delicious, the spa was AWESOME, and the golf course also got rave reviews from my other half. The only downsides: it was pricey, and the beach (though it looked like lots of adults and teenagers were having tons of fun boogie boarding) wasn't the most kid-friendly beach we've been to. It was always windy, and the waves weren't the coddling waves we're used to.

Overlooking the resort grounds

Personally, my favorite touristy thing we did was take a boat ride out to a small offshore island called Molokini to snorkel. Definitely the best snorkeling I've ever done! I guess that's not saying a lot since I had never snorkeled until 2 years ago when I moved to Hawaii. But it really was pretty spectacular! I finally got to see the two fish I always look for, but never find: the Moorish Idol and the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (Hawaiian state fish).

We also drove the Hana Highway, and I'm sure we did not experience it to its fullest, but it was still amazingly beautiful. There are dozens of stops to make a long the way, but we wanted the child things to enjoy it as much as possible, so we did not do any of the hikes or swim to any waterfalls or pull over at every scenic overlook. Even so...it was awesome! Here are some of the things we did stop and see:

Keopuka Rock, which was filmed in the opening scene of Jurassic Park.



Beautiful coastline scenery

 

Child Thing #1 at Waikani Falls (The Three Bears Waterfall)



Child Thing #2 at Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach. The kids had a good time at this place...it had CAVES!



The Child Things at a red sand beach in Hana

More beautiful coastline scenery

A fresh coconut and coconut ice cream.

Child Thing #1 had a fresh coconut before we left Hawaii and loved it, so the whole 9 months we were living in Texas, she kept asking me when she could get another one. We saw this stand, Coconut Glen's, on the side of the Hana Highway and thought it was the perfect opportunity. We bought a coconut and some ice cream made from coconut milk (which was actually really good), and of course, she did not like the coconut at all. Scott tried it (his first taste of fresh coconut milk) and didn't like it either, so I drank some and then we threw it away. The first time I tried drinking a coconut, I didn't care for it much either. It just wasn't what I expected. You'd think it would be very sweet and creamy, but it's more like water. But it has grown on me.

We all loved the ice cream, though, and I also loved what a hippie/environmentalist Coconut Glen was. No plastic spoons. He gave us a sliver of a coconut shell to eat our ice cream. And when the Child Thing asked him if he had any straws to use to drink the coconut, he stepped outside his stand, pulled a leaf off of a papaya tree, used his machete to chop off its hollow stem, and stuck it in the coconut for a straw. It didn't taste very good, though...

What else did we do in Maui? We went to the Maui Ocean Center, an aquarium that we all enjoyed. Child Thing #1 is now positively fascinated with hammerhead sharks. We spent a good deal of time hanging around the pool at our hotel. And we visited the very quaint downtown Lahaina. It was a wonderful vacation. So much fun! And there is much more fun to come! At the end of the week, we will have visitors arriving!

7 Places I have Lived

Dang! I'm late. This month my 7 on the 7th list is actually on the 9th. We were out of town for Mother's Day weekend, so I'm just now getting around to it. But for the month of May, we are writing about 7 places we have lived or visited. This list is a piece of cake for a military wife. So here they are...7 places I have lived.

1. Houston, Tx--I grew up here and have lived here this year while Scott is deployed.

2. Abilene, Tx--I lived here 4 years while I went to college. It was quite a change from the huge city of Houston. It's a much smaller town in the middle of windy, dry nowhere. But I actually enjoyed my time there a lot.

3. College Station, Tx--This is where Scott and I lived our first year of marriage because he was finishing up school at TAMU. Neat place!
4. Columbus, Ga--This was the first place the Army sent us, and out of all the places we have lived, it is my least favorite. I think it has to do with the first time I was really far away from my family, and the fact that we only lived there for about 9 months, so I never really thought of it as home.

5. Manhattan, Ks--Our next station. When I first heard we were going to Kansas, I'm sure I wrinkled my nose a little bit. But I was pleasantly surprised. The northeast part of Kansas is gorgeous, with green rolling hills. Plus Manhattan is a small town with a big university, and I thought it was a great place to live, and it reminded me a little bit of College Station.

6. Augusta, Ga--Yes, my husband got to go see the Master's. I didn't. I have good memories of this place because of the two friends we knew in Kansas who also ended up there at the same time as we did. Having good friends makes living in a new place so much easier, so I was so glad to have their company.

7. Wahiawa, Hi--Lucky us! We managed to get stationed in Hawaii. It is beautiful there with perfect weather, and we have experienced so many cool, exotic and new things, and a cool, exotic new culture because of the time we have spent there. It is a little different than I expected, however. There is a lot of poverty there, and at times, there is some tension between the military and the locals.

Here are the other blogs that do 7 on the 7th. Check them out, too! And if you want to play, you're welcome. Just get your e-mail to me, and I'll send you the topic for next month. :)

http://harkertravels.blogspot.com
http://schoolroomoflife.blogspot.com

http://romanfamily4.blogspot.com

The Adventure

Lately I seem to be writing a lot about the hardships of military life. That's probably because I'm 8 months in to a deployment, which is one of the worst parts, and I'm tired of it! I am SO ready for this deployment to be over, but in the mean time I'd like to share with you what I think is the best part of Army life: the adventure!
Maybe my parents instilled a sense of adventure into me, or a sense of curiosity about other cultures, or maybe I was just a gypsy in a past life, but I love that we get to experience different parts of the world. Let me tell you, since my husband joined the Army, I have learned A LOT, and my views on the world have widened A LOT. We have lived in 4 different states, and everywhere we are stationed, we take trips to see the sights that are nearby. Within the Army, we have also made friends with people from all over the country, and even from other countries. And we don't just read about different places, different traditions and different cultures (and yes, there are definitely different cultures in different regions of the country), we experience them.
We got to go to the Big Island of Hawai'i to watch a volcano smoldering and play on a black sand beach created by its lava.

In Kansas, we took a day trip to visit the site of one of my very favorite childhood books The Little House on the Prairie. I probably enjoyed this little excursion more than Scott did, but he actually learned a lot and was quite impressed with the ingenuity of families like the Ingalls.

Now don't think that I am a vacation hog and only plan trips to places like Independence, Kansas. Here's a road trip that the husband definitely enjoyed.

These are just a few of the many, many wonderful and eye-opening places we have experienced because of the Army. Even though it's always sad to say goodbye to your home and your friends, it's exciting to know that the adventure isn't over.  We're always wondering where we'll end up next and what new things we'll get to see while we're there, and what is so awesome is that it could be anywhere in the world.
When this deployment is FINALLY over, we will be back in Hawaii for at least another year, and we plan to enjoy every minute of our time on a tropical island paradise. But after that, who knows?! Alaska? Japan? Colorado? New York? Germany? Missouri? Arizona? Korea? Australia? Louisiana? Washington?
Where ever it is, it will be an adventure, and I like the sound of that!