Maui 2015

When we got home from Maui two years ago, I would have never believed you if you said we'd be returning just two years later. I thought that was our once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hawaii! Around January of this year, Kyle and I started brainstorming somewhere local that we could take a weekend trip (a babymoon, if you will) without Drew and just spend some quality time together. We've been saving our Christmas gift money from the past few years, so we had a nice chunk of change we'd set aside for something like this. When Kyle's parents surprised us by offering some of their air miles for a flight, we knew exactly where we wanted to go! We thought briefly about trying somewhere new, but the allure of the Pioneer Inn, Front Street, and Kahekili Beach Park was too much to pass up!

I cannot begin to explain how hard it was to leave Drew, especially for me. Kyle leaves him every morning when he goes to work, but I don't habitually spend entire days - let alone five in a row - away from him. And by a fluke of horribleness, Drew came down with a nasty virus in the days leading up to us leaving. What kind of mom leaves her sick child to jet off to Hawaii? I was so torn. I ugly-cried several times leading up to the trip, a few times the day we left, and even the first morning on vacation. Turns out, he was totally fine and having a blast without us. His sickness ran it's course while we were gone, and he was a happy and healthy little boy by the time we got home. We were so, so, so proud of him for being a trooper while we were gone. It's never been so easy to leave paradise and come home. After five days away from Drew, we were both so ready to come home. We had our vacation and it was wonderful, and we were just plain ready to be back home together as a family!

As for the vacation itself, it was exactly what we hoped it would be. Most mornings I woke up around 6am; I never really adjusted to the time change and I was having trouble sleeping (pregnancy problems), so waking up at 6am on vacation is not as crazy as it sounds. I would sneak out onto our balcony to ready my Bible and wait for the sun to pop over the inland mountains. I can't fully describe how nice it was to read my Bible in peace and quiet, with no threat of interruption. I was so encouraged that I can, in fact, still carry a train of thought and piece big ideas together. Any mom of young children will tell you this is a challenge at home, even with a child that sleeps well...you're just "always on" as a mom at home. Kyle would wake up around 7am, and we'd head downstairs to the open air restaurant for breakfast. There was usually a good amount of activity at the pier in the morning (mostly fisherman coming in from early morning fishing), and it was just fun to people watch as the town woke up and came to life each day. Plus: fresh pineapple juice!

After breakfast we'd slowly make our way to the beach. Kahekili Beach Park is our favorite because there is ample parking and ample shade. We would spend the mornings reading in the shade, snorkeling (I finally saw a turtle!), and chatting. By early afternoon we'd head back to town for some shaved ice, naps, and showers. By early evening we would walk up and down Front Street window shopping and then find some place to eat. There are so many great restaurants along Front Street - it was hard to choose! After dinner we'd watch the sunset, and then retreat back to our room to people watch or read on the balcony, or just watch some TV.

If it sounds pretty boring...it was! And it was perfect, just what we wanted. The smells, sounds, sights...nothing had changed. We even recognized our favorite breakfast waiter from two years ago. I love small towns like that, where not a lot changes from year to year. It's just so quaint.

This trip did wonders for our marriage. We weren't in a bad place at all, but it was really refreshing to spend several days in a row just being together. At home we spend most of our time as teammates, making the day-to-day run smoothly. On vacation, we got to just be friends...the original bride and groom, before kid(s). Much thanks to due to those that helped us watch Drew (my parents, Kyle's parents, and my sister), and to Jesus for making the provision for this trip. We certainly didn't deserve it, felt a little guilty planning it, and enjoyed it immensely for what it was: a total gift.

First stop after we unpacked was dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise.
This is the view from our table!

Courtyard at the Pioneer Inn (just past the chairs is a pool)

View from the pier from our table at breakfast

View from the pier looking at the restaurant underneath the Pioneer Inn

Fresh pineapple juice!!

The only way to properly eat a plate sized macadamia nut pancake
is to make a hole in the middle for all the syrup!

Approaching Front Street from the Pioneer Inn

Kahekili Beach

My love!

My view!

Our little shady spot

2015 - pregnant with Mary

2013 - pregnant with Drew

Eating shaved ice in the park outside the Pioneer Inn

Looking at Front Street from the park

Shops beneath the Pioneer Inn on Front Street

View from dinner

My favorite friend :)

On one of the nights, Kyle took me on a sunset dinner cruise

Waiting underneath the Banyan Tree for the cruise to board

View of the Pioneer Inn from the dinner cruise ship

View of Front Street from the water

Morning quiet time on the balcony

Watching the sun come out

View of Banyan Tree Park from our balcony - people were setting up
for the weekend arts + craft show in the park

Checking out the goods at the arts + crafts show

View from Happy Hour at Kimo's

Walking home along Front Street

Waiting for the sunset

Final meal before we headed to the airport: lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise!