Maui

last minute invitation, making arrangements for the girls, swimsuit shopping in November...buying coverups to hide those swimsuits...cramming two weeks worth of work into one, laundry, packing...airport, the life-changingGreat & Terrible series by Chris Stewart, meeting crazy Elder Mailo at LAX, hoping his family would be at the Maui airport to pick him up...finding him alone at baggage claim, with nothing but his suitcase & rice cooker, finally his mom comes and they share an emotional reunion, relief! red H3, dark roads, to bed...can't wait to see this place in the daylight. up at 4:00am, early morning walk on the beach with Kyle and Kenny, watch the sunrise, smell that fresh air, that delightful breakfast, open walls, feel the breeze, watch the birds, sit on the beach, wind, sand in my face, sand in my book, man pulled from ocean...sick to my stomach...loving my book...blowhole, Kyle popped his toe open on volcanic rock, to the grocery store to buy expensive first aid supplies...pool time, loving my book...feel that heat, 85-90 degree weather, move to the shade to cool down (can you imagine that right now?), Whaler's shopping village, young Hawaiian dancers, PINEAPPLE-COCONUT ice cream how I loved you!...ABC store, coconut shortbread cookies, Road to Hana, Dramamine, made us tired, but what a beautiful ride, hike to the 400 foot waterfall, not so prepared, shared shoes with Jer, 2 hard heads...bamboo forest, banyan tree...breakfast at the Hana Hotel, pancakes with coconut syrup, dreaming of coming back here already, beach time on Kaanapali, Black Rock, snorkeling...Kenny's dive into the ocean to rescue another struggling swimmer...David Hasselhoff before my very eyes, my first attempt at snorkeling, unnerving, not normal to breathe under water, trip to Wailea...shops...introduce Kenny & Jer to Tiffany & Co., where was the camera for that one?, new bracelet, blue box, feeling like a princess, drive through the lava field, walk on the beach, watch an incredible sunset, palm tree silhouettes, think about the girls and how much I want to bring them, shaved ice with ice cream, watch the surfers, plumeria lei, dinner at Ruth's Chris, time with incredible friends, watch New Moonin Lahaina with a bunch of Jacob-crazy, loud Hawaiian teenagers at midnight, Haleakala volcano, quickest ascent to 10,000 feet in US, feels more like a trip to Mars, crater, silversword plant, blow out my MEK jeans, trip to Walmart to buy goodies to take home, dying to snuggle with my girls, finished book 2 of the series, forever changed friendship with Kenny & Jer, planning our next trip before we even land in SLC...so glad we went, but happy to be home...Maui, beautiful Maui.