What can I say about our dream vacation to Kauai? A vacation that has been in the works for 10 years and was every bit as wonderful as it was supposed to be? It was amazing. It was fun. It was relaxing and eye-opening and exhausting and adventuresome and many, many, many more things! Most of all, it was a chance to be with the one I love, to reconnect, to see new places and beautiful things and to make life-long memories. It was a chance to be reminded of who I am, and who Tod is, and of who we are together. And it was a chance to just enjoy life and feel blessed for opportunities that have come my way. I missed my kids so much more than I thought I would. But on the other hand, I enjoyed being away alone more than I thought I would, too. Of course, we couldn't have taken the trip without Tod's parents being willing to come and watch our brood. It is such a lot of work to take care of these 4 lively ones, I felt guilty just asking someone to do it! But Grandma and Grandpa really stepped up to the plate and did a great job with the kids. We appreciate it so much. And it was good for our children to realize that they can be okay without us, too! (We were all very happy to be back together and back to our routines!)
I took a TON of pictures, so here are just a few to go along with a little trip recap. If you want to see more, my door is always open!
The beauty of Kauai really was hard to describe. Everyone goes to Hawaii and says it's pretty, but it really is absolutely breathtaking and until you see it, you just can't understand what all the fuss is about.
Tod's friend (The Travel Agent) had us stay at the Waipouli Beach Resort which was a gorgeous resort- so nice with beautiful grounds and a beach area. We had a little balcony with a spectacular view where I ate breakfast several mornings and tried to soak in the warmth and sunshine to get me through winter!
We did a lot of hiking and saw most of the waterfalls on the island. We also took a sail boat ride along the Na Pali Coast and went kayaking to Secret Falls. I was in love with the gorgeous flowers and snapped lots of pictures of the plants. We also savored lots of yummy food. Some of our favorites- ham and fresh pineapple pizza, fish/pork tacos, and tropical burgers. So good!
Some of the things I truly appreciated- long, quiet nights with no sleeping interruptions, going to the hot tub at all hours, going to restaurants without children, watching mindless TV, lots of time to read, quiet air plane rides, buying what we wanted at the grocery store, souvenir shopping and going to church in Kapa'a.
The best part of the trip was just spending time with Tod. Our lives are so busy right now- children, church callings, work, piano, and a host of other things take almost every waking moment. Even when we are home at the same time, there is the constant chatter/needs of 4 other little people. Just to have time together was remarkable. I think we'll do it again sometime soon...(preferably before our 20 year anniversary!)
