Our much needed Winter Break over President's Week also ended up being our 10-year anniversary trip (from Sept. 22). We lucked out with flights to Hawaii, so we jumped at the chance. Our first stop was to Seattle and we visited the Ulitsch clan. They can't seem to keep us away! The kids did not miss a beat when they saw each other. Playing outside, with Molly, in their 'fort', it was all so wonderful. We then headed to the beach. It was windy, but we would not be deterred. Thanks for loaning us beanie caps.
The Pryor's on the beach
Zach, Ava, Olivia and Gage
Cactus is highly recommended- the best eclectic Mexican ever!
As always, their imaginations are running wild and the kids are transformed into dogs. Each with a name and tag (Lily, Brian and Eric??) We love the glow necklaces as collars and leashes. Molly, the real dog, is asleep the entire time during this 'show'.
John, Andrea, Jen and Dave .... a night out on the town at the local wine bar in Issaquah.
Dave finally visits the Space Needle. Where is my typical Seattle sunshine?! ha.
We all meet up at Seattle's Science Center the next day for a little kiddy fun.
Laboratory Lunchbox is a new "must" when visiting Seattle. I had THE BEST BURGER (gluten free at that) EVER! Yes, it was all about the food. I'm still craving it.
It was a short 1 1/2 days with our friends, but no complaints because we cram all the fun into whatever time we have. We love the kids, we love Andrea and John (and Molly) and we love the feel that Seattle gives us. Since my early days with Starbucks Coffee, I have loved every visit to the fine city in the Pacific Northwest and I love every bit of scenery along the way. See you soon, Seattle. I hear you calling me:-)
Monday evening, we were off to Honolulu. It's a strange feeling as you look on a map to see your course. Flying over the vast ocean makes you realize how small you really are, but also how far you can travel in such a short time, relatively. I'm not sure I would call this jaunt 'short', because it was 6 hours from Seattle, but hey, paradise was waiting. The beauty of westward travel means you wake early and are ready to explore. Up at 5 am, we soaked up the morning sunrise, and headed to the beach, Waikiki Beach, that is. Add another local to my list......and I do love my travel list. One of my favorite things:-)
We stayed at the Marriott on Waikiki Beach for a day because Dave had an interview for the NY Times regarding the new Jaguar add campaign. Lucky guy, he got to talk on a conference call while we took off for the pool and hot tub. Zach even met a buddy there and wasn't ready to go! I was just happy to be in paradise. But not for long, it was time for yet another, yes another plane ride to our final destination of Maui. I'm ready to ditch these bags and sit for a bit.
We sat for a bit in the Honolulu airport waiting for our flight to Maui. Drinks made the wait much better and the kids seemed to think we were more at ease as well. He he.
Early morning Tuesday and we have finally arrived in Maui with a beautiful sunrise, whale watching from our balcony, relaxing, reading and enjoying quiet time....who am I kidding, I had 20 minutes to myself before my early riser was up, Zach, and the chatting had begun and guess what?! It didn't stop. We'll chalk it up to excitement.
Shaved ice is BIG in Hawaii. I know this because Olivia and I have read the Kanani American Girl book (she has Kanani). This is the first time I have experienced it. For some reason, they add a scoop of Hawaiian ice cream on the bottom, then the 'finest' shaved ice, flavors of your choice, and whipped cream on top. The kids chose the 'just ice' version. Mmm, mmm, sugar water, but everyone is happy.
We spent the first day at the Westin Kaanipali resort just recovering from our travel, and oh, what a glorious day it was. The following day, we drove the Road to Hana. Hana is a city on the other side of the island. The scenery along the way is breathtaking. Highly recommended. We stopped to play at a black sand beach with some fierce waves. At one point, Zach and Olivia both were swept off their feet and tumbled 3-4 times (yes, that big of a wave). Luckily, neither hit the huge rock on the beach, so after regaining our breath, all was good and they were back in for more! Olivia loved playing in the black sand. A side note, some of these clothes did not make it back. What a long, messy, fun day.
Alas, the big deep sea fishing trip arrived, much to Dave's liking. We had a great boat, captain and crew, but no fish were to be had that day. It was a good thing because the kids were looking at the crewman like he had a third eye when he described how they would reel a fish in.....for 30 minutes sometimes. Yes, I'm sure a 7 & 8 year old could do that. I think Dave took us on a 'Big Boy' deep sea fishing trip. O & Z were truly impressed with the massive fishing lines. I have seen more than 4 drawings with this fishing boat with lines cast out in the kids drawings. It's really neat to see what the kids take in and express in their artwork. We have SO much artwork from this trip. It was actually great artwork, so it made the trip home with us. Ah, through the eyes of the babes....
Deep sea fishing Zach
Guess what?! We had a humpback whale family visit our boat on the way home. Gentle Giants. They gave us great views of their massive sizes, tails, mom, dad and baby. Our cameras did not capture our awe. This was a first for us...and so close. That is something none of us will ever forget!
Even though no fish showed themselves, we had a great time aboard the fishing boat. Tanner, the captain's helper (bring a kid to work day), fit right in with Olivia and Zach. Fun guy and I told Olivia "he's cute" and she just blushed.
This is a view from the boat. Not bad.
View from my lounge chair at the Westin resort.
Road to Hana....inspiring views all day long.
Sweet kids, at the Botanical Gardens on the Road to Hana. Bamboo and eucalyptus were everywhere.
Hiking to waterfalls, mud covering us included:-) Did I mention it was a messy day? These views make it worth it.
We found lots of tidal pools and actually saw an eel in one of them. Very cool!
Early wake ups dictate some iTouch wake up time. Little bums....
Dave and the captain
Freshly showered and his thoughts are with the whales. He saw 39 whales surfacing one morning. I couldn't resist this picture.
Flamingos at the Westin, along with black swans, white swans, Koi fish galore, talkative parrots and an aquarium. It was Olivia and Zach's own paradise. Not to mention (no pictures) that we saw a huge sea turtle snorkeling at the Black Rock close to our hotel. The fish were cool, but the turtle was unforgettable! Zach wasn't such a fan of snorkeling, it may have been his equipment, but Olivia was a natural.
Time for some boogie boarding!! The kids hit it hard. Dave and I had previously took them paddle boarding and it was so cool! I sound like a surfer, don't I? Let's be clear, I did not surf, but I loved paddle boarding and what a great workout. Again please! I may have to get one for Lake Martin.....
Our last day in Maui, we ate at the highly recommended Mama's Fish House. It was a gorgeous view, but strong winds on the north side of the island, aptly name the windward side. It was delicious, but I have to admit, our favorite was Sansei. Oh, the sushi was oh, so good. I wish we could have gone again.
Our final day and we drove to the volcano. This drive was scary, amazing, and scary again. We drove ABOVE the clouds! The summit was close to 10,000 feet. The colors were exquisite and looking at the crater makes you realize how massive this volcano eruption was. This is also highly recommended.
Ahh.
And this was our goodbye to paradise in Maui. We had another flight to catch to Honolulu for a quick night there, back to the airport to fly to L.A., rush to catch a flight to JFK and another hour drive home to NJ. We arrived home a little after 2 am, put kids to bed, found sand brought into our house from suitcases and smiled at each other for a wonderful, crazy travel, screwy schedule, with two kids trip. We pulled if off with some very happy kids. Kids that made it to school the next day; impressive kiddos.
As Olivia told me with a smile on her face, "This is the most luxurious hotel I've ever stayed in (Westin)". To see that smile, on Zach too, it was all worth it. To see it through their eyes......happy kids, happy parents, happy anniversary.
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