Hawaii Part I

Though I was quite excited for our first kid-free vacation, I have to say that I was almost equally excited for the fact that I would not have to make that 6 hour flight with children.  Ridiculous how much I enjoyed that flight (besides the fact that my pregnant legs turned into giant, swollen sausages by the end of it).  

I read books, watched a movie, didn't have to escort a toddler or baby to the bathroom 10 times, drank my beverage in peace, and even took a little nap--heaven!

The other screaming children on the flight were just a testament to Garrett and I of how grateful we were to not have to worry about that on this flight (and my heart reeeeeally went out to those parents).

We landed on Maui, met up with Garrett's parents, went grocery shopping at Costco to supply our condo with food for the week, and enjoyed the beautiful, beachy drive to our condo in Honokawai. 

Though the condo lacked air conditioning (which is hard in the heat and humidity when you're 8 months pregnant), and though I got a horrendous cough and fever that night (what luck?!), our condo was great and had an amazing view of the ocean from the balcony:

I'm so grateful that pregnant women can still take Tylenol, because Tylenol saved me that week, keeping the fever and chills and bay so that I could function, enjoy our vacation, and keep up with everyone else.  (Anyone who knows Garrett or his dad knows that they do not do lay-on-the-beach type vacations.  We were go-go-going all the time and often by 6am, but it was a blast!)

Our first day there was Sunday. 

 We had planned on going to church but I was quite ill that day, so instead I was allowed to slowly come to life that morning so that we could drive up to Haleakala mountain that afternoon and enjoy God's beautiful creations in a quiet and serene atmosphere.  Our first stop was to a lavender farm recommended to us by some family and friends.  It was beautiful!  Acres and acres of interesting trees, shrubs, and flowers to walk through....

(Garrett thought this plant was cool, but it gave me the heebie-jeebies. Ick.) 

Garrett made a little chameleon friend:

The view was amazing:

Pregnant lady had to take a few breaks!

Next we drove 10,000 feet to the top of the mountain (where the temperature plummeted to the low 50's and was bitterly windy) to view the sunset.  We were above the clouds and it was absolutely gorgeous. 

We also had a lot of fun taking action-shot "leaping" pictures.

Of course Garrett's pictures looked the coolest:

 The sunset was gorgeous.

So was the moonrise.

And that's about all I could physically handle for the day. :)  

Day 2 (Monday):

Garrett's 32nd birthday!! 

I have to say, I absolutely adore this guy and I'm so glad that we got to celebrate his birthday in Hawaii where he could be a little kids again and play to his heart's content.  :)

We went to Kapalua Beach for some snorkeling and I quickly discovered that snorkeling on Maui completely trumps snorkeling in Cancun or in the Bahamas.  The water was perfect and clear and the fish and coral were so vibrant.  The beaches were also pretty bare of crowds and just beautiful.  

Of course Garrett spotted a massive 5 foot sea turtle munching on some moss so we all hung out right next to said turtle observing it eat for a good 15 minutes.  He never made any attempts to move away or leave even though we were literally inches from its face--so cool, and Garrett earned the nickname of the "Turtle Whisperer" during our trip. 

(I also discovered that day that being sick with a horrible cough + pregnancy induced heartburn + floating on your stomach snorkeling for longer than 10 minutes = feeding the fish your regurgitated breakfast and lunch.  Not very fun, but apparently the snorkeling was worth it because we went snorkeling--and I consequently got sick--nearly every day in Hawaii.)

That night Garrett's parents treated us to dinner at an outdoor beachside restaurant called the Hula Grill.  The food and ambiance were awesome, and the desserts were even better.

(Coconut creme brulee in a pineapple = a very happy Holly.)

Then we went to Warren and Annabelle's for a magic/comedy show.  (If you ever go to Maui, that place is a must!  Mind-blowing slight-of-hand magicians who also made me laugh harder than I did at Brian Regan's show.) 

Not bad for the first two days in Hawaii, eh?!