Post 100: Kauai

WARNING: THIS IS REALLY, REALLY LONG (but I use this blog as my journal as well). How perfect that my 100th Post is of Kauai! I can't say enough about this trip (so feel free to skip all the "babbling" if you want because I could go on...and on...and on...well, you get the idea). First of all, this was the first real vacation that Greg and I have ever taken by ourselves. Even our honeymoon and trips before we had kids were tied to extended family vacations. So, with nearly nine years in the making, Kauai was heaven! In a way it was nice, because I didn't worry about the money that we were spending (I know...shocking! I generally break into hives or hyperventilate when I have to spend more than $20). Seriously...there are not enough adjectives to describe the great time we had. Here are some highlights:

This is a picture of us heading out for church. Notice Greg's sandals. Apparently, Greg and Jasper pictured church on Kauai like in the movie, "The Other Side of Heaven." I think they expected to find a bunch of Polynesian men in white shirts, ties, Hawaiian skirts, and sandals. They were embarrassed, but nobody even noticed. It took us a while to find the chapel, but Jen followed her inspiration, and we arrived in time to listen to the talks. Of course Jen found someone that knew a good friend of hers. That girl is amazing! She has so many friends.

I like this picture because it shows the grounds of the Marriot where we stayed. It was beautiful. You can't tell, but the beach is to the left. We walked down, snorkeled, walked back to the hot tub, swam in the pool, snorkeled some more, etc. Thank you so much to my wonderful in-laws for letting us use their timeshare.

After church, we headed up Waimea Canyon. Mark Twain described it as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." We drove up this ridge and could see the canyon on the East and the ocean on the West. The views were absolutely breathtaking. We stopped at one point and hiked into one of the waterfalls. It felt like we were walking through a forest. Apparently, we were at the top of two falls. You can't tell in the pictures, but it is a sheer drop-off below Greg. He is standing on the top of the first set of falls. We left Jen's camera in the car (its so handy to travel with a professional photographer) so the pictures are from a video camera. When we got home, we grilled steak with potatoes and had fresh, luscious pineapple. My very sweet father-in-law sent us a welcome basket full of goodies like macadamia nuts, guava cookies, juice, and fresh pineapple. Yum!

One of the nicest pleasures of the entire week was sleeping with our window open and being awakened by roosters. As we learned at the luau, the wild roosters and chickens were brought here from our neighbors from the Philippines. Okay, Monday we were just big dorks. We drove to the East Side of the island to find the "easiest waterfall to find in the island" (a quote from all the "books" on Kauai). Okay...we drove back and forth at least four times trying to find the turn. Finally, we stopped at Eggberts for lunch. I guess we were all starving because obviously our brains weren't working. We drove South and, lo and behold, there is a big, green sign with an arrow and the name of the falls. Later on that day, Greg and Jasper got out of the car to check out a possible snorkeling sight. For some reason, they locked the car doors as they walked away. Jen and I were locked inside! It got hot inside the car, so I tried to unlock the door to get some air. It set off the alarm. And of course, Greg and Jasper didn't recognize the alarm of the rental car! Jen was snorting - she was laughing so hard (so was everyone around us). They finally rescued us!

We also hiked through 7-foot sugar cane and bright red mud to get to this great, fresh-water swimming hole. The boys jumped off the ledge and did the rope swing. It was crazy. We were in the middle of this lush island, swimming in our own, private pool. The best part was that we had it all to ourselves. It was a blast! That night, we went to a luau. This is probably the only thing that I really regret. It was just a little too cheesy for us.

Jen and I hanging off a cliff:

The "White Hawaiian":Jasper at the top of the swimming hole:

I was too big of a wimp to jump off the cliff. I had to climb down the ladder:

Jen and I in 'Nam (as Jen pointed out, I look a little too happy for Vietnam):

The Mai Tai's were free and flowin' at the luau:

On Tuesday morning, we headed to the beach to watch the sunrise. The clouds kind of blocked the view, but it was still gorgeous and so relaxing. We did yoga on the beach (ha, ha). We also met Roylan. He taught us all about legends, rubbing a leaf inside your goggles before snorkeling to keep them from fogging, and he fed us some citrus and sugar cane. He handed me the grapefruit on steroids and told me to peel it. The rind was a couple of inches thick. I worked up a sweat while peeling it. After that, we went on a helicopter ride - without doors. It was incredible (if not a bit chilly). The views were unbelievable. I loved the Na Pali Coast (it was right out of Jurassic Park), and he flew us into a crater full of TONS of waterfalls. We went right up to the edge; you could almost reach out and touch it, that's how close we were. We landed in the middle of the island and had lunch next to a secluded waterfall. It was unbelievable! After that, we went snorkeling. Such a blast! What a day! I can't say enough about the gorgeous, lush scenery. There was one stretch of road that I annoyingly commented on every time we drove by. There are these huge trees with vines that have grown up the tree and are hanging off all the branches. Some of the vines have little purple flowers. It was just breathtaking every time I saw it. And we stayed right by the "Tunnel of Trees." Every turn was more beautiful than the last. I'm sure the green looked even greener because I haven't seen grass in months. I loved it! Some shots from the helicopter:Wednesday was our scuba diving day. It was incredible! I was a little nervous, but I did pretty good. Jen did her very best; she was such a great sport! She tried really hard, but ended up sitting on the rocks, answering her email, while we dove. Greg got certified, so he sped down to the bottom. It was a shore dive, so we swam out to a bouee with a rope tied to a rock about 25 feet down. It took Jasper and I 11 minutes to get to the bottom. At about 10 feet, our instructor tried to get us to "start shallow." Jasper and I immediately popped up to the surface. But, we eventually got down. We stayed down another 25 minutes. Then, we took a break, and went in for a second dive. Our instructor was great and so patient! For the second dive, both Greg and Jasper sped right to the bottom. They did have to wait for me for my ears to adjust. But, it only took me 2 minutes. We stayed under a total of 41 minutes and dove to about 40 feet. It was the most amazing feeling to swim with the fish and turtles. We just floated through the water. We went to a sales pitch for the timeshare earlier that morning, so we went to a nice dinner for free! What an amazing day...again!
Me: Greg: Jasper:Thursday morning was spent on a zip line. I thought I would be scared, because I HATE heights, but it was so much fun! Although I was a big, fat wimp on the bridge. We met this cute couple and their kids from Alaska, and our tour guides were very nice and informative. The highest point was 80 feet. After, we did a little rock climbing. I made it to the fourth panel and quit. Why did I wimp out at that point? I should have kept going. Anyway...we headed up to the North Shore for the afternoon. I LOVED the North (although there were quite a few hippies). I accidentally led us to the most dangerous beach on the island, Tunnels Beach, but it was great for snorkeling. Unfortunately, both Greg and Jasper got torn up on the rocks when they tried boogie boarding. They both snorkeled with blood on their legs. I could not get enough of the scenery. There was a huge mountain with vines and trees growing out of the ledge. I was in heaven! Love your helmet, hon! Friday was so relaxing. We ate breakfast at "Joe's on the Green" and spent the day on the beach, snorkeling, in the hot tub and swimming pool, and packing. Our flight left at 7:00 and we arrived at Salt Lake at 9:00 Saturday morning. What a great vacation! I really didn't miss my kids (gulp...the guilt), and I definitely think I could have stayed a few more days. It was so nice to be with Greg. We laughed and laughed all week. The best part was that even if things didn't go as planned, it really wasn't that big of a deal because I didn't have to worry about being 2 minutes away from a bathroom at all times or packing a HUGE diaper bag complete with enough snacks to feel a small country. We just relaxed and enjoyed being together. He's just the greatest!

And I can't forget Jen and Jasper. These two are some of the best people I've ever met! They are easy-going and laugh so easily. They have a way of making everyone feel so comfortable. It's been a long time since I've had a really close friend. I can't tell you how much Jen has taught me about seeing the best in EVERYONE and enjoying every minute of life. She finds beauty in everyone, she is so genuine, and she deeply cares about people. And Jasper's goodness is so inspiring. Greg said, "I thought that I loved you a lot, but Jasper really loves Jen." You can tell that he is totally smitten, and just watching them together makes me want to be a kinder, better wife. Not to mention, he could easily quit his job and become a Hawaiian singer. ("Jimmy Loma") Thanks so much! We love you guys!

I love her to pieces (but she needs to cut back on the botox):

Great people (and so B-U-ti-ful):