It's a Wrap

We have been home for almost a week now. We have gotten through the going back to work and school doldrums and we have conquered the jet lag. As always, home is my favorite place to be. I was watering my plants today and pulling off the dead leaves, turning them toward the light, etc. and I smiled to myself thinking of how much I love the little, simple home things. 

I sneaked into the room the girls were sharing on the final morning in Kauai to see if they wanted to go see the sunrise with me. One said yes, one said no. Eliana and I walked out to the beach just as the sun was rising and it was well worth the "yes" of getting out of bed and going out. I knew there was a reason I hauled my crystal ball all the way to Hawaii!

Our last day in Kauai we went to Spouting Horn, where waves spout up through a hole in the lava rocks that forms the coastline. The effect is that water is forced up through the hole when waves roll in under the lava rocks. It causes a spout that is quite impressive to see.

Then it was off to the airport. The airport was open to the outdoors where you could see hibiscus blooming. 

Having perfected the art of sleeping on airplanes, I'm not sure how the flights were, but I do know we made it home safe and sound.  I did wake occasionally to drink some water, but that was about it. I was sitting beside Eliana and she is a fantastic little traveler. She settles in and entertains herself for the entire 6 hour flight. There was no seat back entertainment, either. I've been seat mates with adults who did not do as well.

We arrived home on Annika's 15th birthday. We had picked up a necklace and earring set we saw she liked in Hawaii and had asked Freeland to have a cake here when we arrived home. It wasn't the usual birthday celebration, but it did come at the end of a pretty great trip.

Eliana was sick when we arrived home. She is now on antibiotics and is getting better, but she has not yet gone back to school. 

As soon as we arrived home we wanted to see our other kids and our grand baby, but Douglas & Kayla & little Riley had gone to South Carolina to visit Kayla's Pappy. We were pretty happy when they came to see us Sunday afternoon after just getting home early Sunday morning! 

Riley loves saying what the dogs say, Woof!, and she looked so startled every time one of our dogs barked. She would blink her little eyes, point, and say WOOF!! It was adorable, as is everything she does. We may be a bit smitten. 

So, I guess that is a wrap, I blogged through the trip. I think I'll keep going. Probably. We have some other pretty amazing things coming up this summer and I just don't want to miss it.

Helicopter Tour

Wow! The sights we saw today are still just boggling my mind. We lost count of the number of waterfalls we saw, but we also saw the red striped formations I generally associate with desert climates. We saw wild, uninhabited country. We also saw farms. And all of it, every little bit of it was so, so breathtakingly beautiful!

We took a helicopter tour of the island today. We were in a helicopter with no doors, so the views were stunning. And I was a little bit terrified the entire time. My fingers were numb from gripping the seat for the whole hour that we were in the air. 

But that did not keep me from taking pictures. I wished I had my 35mm lens instead of my 100mm, just in case any photographers need to know that. We went so close to everything that I actually wished for a shorter focal length. 

Also, when they tell you to dress warmly, listen. I made sure the kids had jackets, but I had on a t-shirt. It was cold up there with the wind whipping through!

It was all worth the incredible views. I think this ended up being the favorite excursion that we have done.

 

All I can say is that the One who created all of this beauty in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has a love for beauty for the sake of beauty and an unparalleled imagination. Everywhere I go on this big, beautiful world I am more and more impressed with the greatness of God. 

Easter Sunday in Kauai, Hawaii

This morning we started off with another delicious and healthy breakfast. Half a papaya with yogurt and granola in the hollowed out area? Yes, please! And a Lavender London Fog tea with that? Perfection!

We then attended the Easter morning service at Kapaa First Hawaiian Church. They were very kind and welcoming. The service was in both Hawaiian and English, which was interesting. I sneaked one quick picture of the cantor. He lead all of the music. It was an old church building with photos of almost all of the ministers that have ever been leaders there on the back wall. It was a good experience and the preacher spoke earnestly about the women who discovered that Jesus had risen. I know I'll treasure the memory of sitting there with my crew, the wind blowing through the open doors, listening to the Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian. The Lord is risen indeed!

This afternoon was a quiet, restful one. Eliana and I went to the beach just down from our apartment, but the wind is blowing hard today making the waves a little too boisterous for us. We ended up in the swimming pool, which was nice too. 

I need to record a bit about yesterday since we have some gorgeous photos I want to post. The kids and I went on a 5 hour boat tour of the NaPali coast. It was amazing! The waves were rough and Eliana experienced motion sickness for the first time. Thanks to one of the other passengers who gave her a Dramamine and some tips on what to do to feel better she perked back up and was able to go snorkeling and enjoy the rest of the tour.

The NaPali coast is wild country! It is only accessible by water or air. We saw where the opening scene of Jurasic Park was filmed and also parts of one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We saw dolphins and waterfalls and sea caves. It was so beautiful! No whales, but with everything we did see I couldn't even be disappointed.

Tomorrow is our last full day here. I do not want to think about it on the one hand, but I always love going home. So we will enjoy the rest of our time to the fullest, but be happy to get back home when the time comes.

The Day We Snuba Dived

Snuba diving, the perfect marriage between snorkeling and scuba diving. You have an oxygen tank which is on a light raft and you have a 20 ft. tube attaching you to the tank. In theory this means you can dive and swim up to 20 feet under the water. And that was reality for one of our party... Annika. The rest of us struggled to get past the whole I really can breathe under water and I'm not drowning right now mindset. I think we all got it eventually, but I definable was not 20 feet under water at any point! I did, however, see amazing tropical fish and the coral reef. 

We were all so busy staying alive that there are no pictures. Next time I'll have Annika take them. Keith got motion sickness, which helped him decide that he will not be going on the sea cave exploring adventure we have planned for tomorrow. A raft along the coast for 5 hours would probably not be a good thing for him. We have tried all of the meds and tricks and he is just very susceptible to motion sickness. It is almost guaranteed he would be miserable for 4.75 of the 5 hours.

So I don't have pictures of an amazing under water world to share with you, but I do have a few from the Luau last night and from the little walk Annika and I took together this afternoon. The Luau was fun and the food was {mostly} amazing. There were a few selections that stayed on my plate. Mom, they kept blowing through a conch shell and I thought of you every time. 

I think that inside of each of us is a bit of wanderlust that causes us to be willing to trade the comfort of home for the inconvenience of travel. Just to see different birds and flowers and foods, it is thrilling and satisfies something deep within. The unfamiliar bird calls, the salt that only comes course ground even at Target, the comparison of prices and the excitement of finding exotic souvenirs all makes it wonderful... but it also makes us more grateful to return to the familiar, where life is predictable and comparatively easy.

And yet, it is not the sea birds that awaken us each morning... it is the crowing of many, many roosters. One of the funniest things to me about this island is the number of chickens, roosters, and chicks just roaming everywhere. They are in remote areas and in the Target parking lot. They are just everywhere.

So far we are having a truly wonderful, relaxing time. Our Airbnb has a kitchen where we are using so many delicious tropical fruits and fresh vegetables. They have an Instant Pot, so I made chili this afternoon because there are so many wonderful meals you can make with chili. The cost of food is definitely higher than we are accustomed to, but there are quite a few little stands selling fresh produce, so we are loving that!

Ok, I'm heading to bed soon. Early bedtime tonight because we have an early start tomorrow. People who just did this tour yesterday said they saw several whales. I'm soooo hoping we see one!

Poipu Beach {We Saw Seals!}

Yesterday we saw sea turtles. I was so thrilled to have seen them! When we were deciding which beach to visit today we read that people sometimes see Hawaiian Monk Seals on Poipu Beach. Obviously I was hoping we would see them. As we were walking down to the water there one was, gliding through the waves. Shortly after we saw a second one.

We saw them off and on as we waded and splashed and marveled at the gorgeous, clear, warm water. After a bit Eliana was the only one still in the water. The rest of us were soaking in the sun on the beach. And here came the smaller (I assume female) of the two seals. She waddled up on the shore directly in front of where we were sitting and immediately went to sleep.

It wasn't long before the larger seal (I assume male) decided to join her, but he didn't seem to be quite as ready to nap, much to her disgust. She told him exactly what she thought about him waking her up. And then told him exactly what she thought of him in general.

He seemed ready to fight back, but quickly reconsidered and decided he would nap later. 

It seemed like a good choice to me.

At least, I'm pretty sure that is what happened right in front of us. I may have gotten 1 or 2 details incorrect, but I know it is very close to accurate.

Tonight we are going to a traditional Luau. Hopefully I'll share pictures from that event tomorrow. We skipped lunch in preparation for the feast after reading about what to expect.

Kauai, Hawaii Tunnels Beach

I have to blog about this trip. I just have to. It gives me that place to return to where all of the memories are captured in real time. That is priceless. And I like blogging. I miss doing it. So I'll blog the trip then see where we go from there.

Yesterday was a loooong day of travel. We had two 6.5 hour flights plus a 5 hour layover in Seattle. By the time we got to our Airbnb we were exhausted and ready to sleep. And we did. I wasn't sure how everyone would handle the 6 hour time difference, but they all slept and have been busy all day today so I do not think it's going to be a problem for anyone.

We are staying in the Lae Nani Resort in an apartment that is rented out as an Airbnb. It's a great place. It is perfect for us. We can walk down to the beach and see it from our balcony. I'm planning to sit out there with a cup of coffee tomorrow morning. There is a huge salt water pool, where the kids are swimming and relaxing right now.

This morning I knew I needed to start the day with an aćai bowl. I mean, I'm in Hawaii. Do I even have a choice? So we stopped at this great little place. Annika and I tried out their {{amazing}} aćai bowls while the others ate bagel sandwiches and pancakes. 

Then we followed the winding road north as far as it would take us before parking in a questionably legal spot and heading to the water. The color of that water! It's hard to describe and absolutely nothing is as amazing as seeing it in person.

There were sea turtles we could see as the waves rolled in. And they would sometimes stick their heads up out of the water.The water is so clear that it was easy to see them just riding the waves.

Everywhere we look there are gorgeous flowers and exotic plants... oh, and chickens. Chickens are just strolling around wild everywhere. I have some pictures of chickens strolling the sidewalks in China so I told the kids I'm going to start a "chickens of the world" album.

I'm ready for bed early tonight. Ok, Ok, I'm ready for bed early every night. But tonight is no exception. Tomorrow is another gorgeous and busy day on the island!