Zipping Lines and Luaus

While lounging on vacation is nice, and necessary, it's not the only thing we did while we were away. There were a couple of days where we checked out what Maui offered.

Five of the six adults in our group took to the zip lines high up in the mountains.

The first line was a test of nerves - at least for me.

After that first zipline was under our belts it was smooth sailing.

While the guys had no problems letting go of the harness neither my mom nor I could quite pull that trigger. Maybe next time. :) 

The views from the mountain were pretty incredible. We were totally surrounded by lush green vegetation, and could see the endless blue ocean beyond.

Some of the lines were so long we couldn't see where we would end up. Talk about exhilarating! 

I love how awesome everyone looks when they're wearing a helmet and a contraption that resembles a full body diaper.

After a few lines we were all riding like we were old pros. Except my mom… At one point my mom managed to stop on the line, way before she was supposed to. Someone had to throw her a rope to reel her in. HAHA!

The whole experience was SUCH a rush!

Another must-do while on the island was see a luau. Not just any luau, but the Old Lahaina Luau (it's *the* best luau). In all of Hawaii the Old Lahaina Luau is the only authentic luau. 

Sadly, I didn't get many photos of the actual event. Let's be real, I was too busy enjoying the show (and free adult beverages) to remember to whip out the camera. Thankfully, I snapped a few before the festivities began.

 Mom and Dad, we want to thank you for having us join along on such an amazing trip. We had the absolute best of times!

Until next time, Maui!
Mahalo and Aloha!

The Hana Highway

Prior to this trip Scott had never been to Maui. I knew I had to take him on the road to Hana. The distance from Kaanapali - where we stayed - to Hana is about 50 miles. However, the trek *getting* to Hana consists of an estimated 617 turns, and roughly 57 single-lane bridges. The trip can (and should) take almost an entire day.

We set off early and treated ourselves to some of Mother Nature's most amazing work.

Sit back and enjoy the photo dump with just a smattering of narrative.

I vaguely remembered the map/way to get there from previous experience, but I'd never been the one in charge of manning the map. I was worried that duty would strain our marriage. Thankfully, I managed not to screw anything up (too terribly).

We followed along with the Maui Revealed book and discovered some pretty spectacular sights.
There were waterfalls galore. But, the first one that *really* took my breath away was this one.

A stunning 200+ foot fall, with a small pool. And, we had the entire thing to ourselves. I repeatedly gushed to Scott, "Isn't it just awesome?!"

While beyond beautiful, the pool was very, very chilly.

After about 20-30 minutes we decided to keep trucking. We had a LONG way to go before reaching Hana. Just as we were about to make the hike back to the road another couple showed up and kindly took a picture for us.

The road weaves itself in and out of the rainforest and along the coast. There are no words to fully and accurately describe the majesty of it all.

If we saw one waterfall, we saw 100. Seriously.

It was nice to come across waterfalls just off the road. We were more apt to have someone willing to take a picture of us, rather than one of us (Scott) holding the camera out at arms distance hoping to get both our faces and whatever natural beauty stood behind us.

Of all the waterfalls to discover, this one was my favorite.

We were fortunate to meet a local man who directed us to this secluded little place. Again, we were the ONLY ones around. It was all a little surreal… This is the kind of stuff you only see in the movies (at least that's what I kept thinking).

Top left: Another arm out selfie.
Top right: I swam behind the falls.
Bottom: The pool below the falls was the majestic, sparkling turquoise. 

Also on  our trip we managed to find an old lava tube. It wasn't easy spotting the opening of the tube from the road!

Top left: We found it! We really had to search to find that opening!
Bottom left: HA! I had to post this -- we were in the lava tube, Scott snaps a pic, and then immediately makes fun of the wet imprints left on my shirt by my swimsuit. We keep it classy everywhere we go. :)
Right: One of the many tree roots to penetrate through the tube.  

The tube was abysmally dark. I couldn't see my hand directly in front of my face. I'd be lying if I said crawling around in the lava tube didn't creep me out a bit.

The Hana Highway leads to gorgeous Wai'anapanapa State Park (try pronouncing THAT).

The park is home to the only black sand beach on Maui.

And, at the end of the highway is Hana. There isn't any specific thing to see or do in Hana. It's just the journey to get there that is so out-of-this-world.

Shakas//Swimming//Sea Fishing//Sunsets

Too many times we've gone on vacations with hopes of rewinding and relaxing, only to return home more tired than when we left. The words "I need a vacation from our vacation," have been uttered all too often.

Thankfully, this vacation was nothing like that. Our days were, for the most part, sleepy and slow. Island time is a real thing, and we were more than happy to oblige in that way of life. Sure, we planned a few activities, but we mostly just enjoyed our time together in a place so beautiful it almost didn't seem real. 

The first thing we did when we made ourselves at home on Maui was teach Marcus the shaka. 

Night one and Grandpa had Marcus perfecting the hand sign that is synonymous with Hawaii.

Most days and nights we could be found lounging lazily by the pool, or on the beach. More often than not you could find a fruity drink in my hand while I watched Marcus play his little heart out.

Even when we weren't in the water we were dreaming about it…

If we were lucky we'd spend an evening soaking in a tub, pretending we were in the pool/ocean.

One morning we made an attempt to go deep sea fishing.

Sadly, the only thing we caught were stunning views and our own bait.

Secretly I was kind of glad we didn't catch any big fish. Deep sea fishing is A LOT different than fishing on a lake. The whole process sounded really scary/hard. So, I was totally fine with just cruising around the island for a few hours.

And each night we made sure to capture the stunning sunsets.

To keep from getting too wordy, and too picture heavy there's more Maui to come. 

Happy Marcus Monday!

With three different cameras and 900+ pictures from our little getaway picking *one* photo for Monday was kind of a challenge. 

While on the island we decided to have family photos taken. This one is my favorite of our little guy. It is Marcus through and through: the tongue, the sand, the smile. It's Marcus.

Happy Monday!

High Fives - We're Home!

Well, hi there! Look who's back in the blogging saddle -- this gal!

Our vacation was seriously the best. It was everything I'd hoped for, and then some. You know sometimes when you go on vacation and by the end of the trip you're ready to head home? Well, that wasn't the case for me. I could have stayed a few extra days (weeks? years?).

Anywho… More to come on our trip next week. There is no way I can sift through three different cameras and 900+ photos for Fridays top five. So, instead I'll focus on the highlights from being home.

Here we go!

1. Though we left the beaches of Maui we didn't have to go far to get to our favorite "home" beach. And, with temps at 100+ degrees for the past few days we've made a semi-permanent residence at said beach.

2. While at the beach we often look for sea shells to bring home. Usually the shells are about this size, shape, and color:

 However, on our last trip to the beach we found a few gems:

I see a Pinterest project in my future…

3. Ok, so maybe this post *will* have a little about our trip to Hawaii in it…
When we vacation we alway look for Christmas ornaments that reflect where we've visited. Usually we pick just one. But, I had to have both of these.

What says Hawaii like a pineapple? And, the manger scene is made out of a coconut, fabric, and shells all from the island. Side note: the manger ornament was made by a 17-year old Hawaiian girl who sells the homemade ornaments. She is saving her earnings from her pieces for college. I love that our purchase is not only going to complete our tree, but it's helping to do good as well.

4. THIS lady and her family are coming to visit us next week!

Anyone notice the creepy inflatable on the right? Ha!  

We can't wait for Ashely, Jordan, and their littles to join us for some SoCal fun!

5. While Ashely and fam are here we're couldn't pass up the opportunity see our FAVORITE celebrity, again…

While vacation was fun, and I didn't want to come back to the every day realities and responsibilities, it really is good to be back.

Have a great weekend!

High Fives :: The Two Toddlers Edition

It might not technically be summer, but our schedules - and the recent 90 degree temps - certainly make it seem as if summer has arrived. Between guests coming, and vacations planned, our summer has pretty much started. I'm not complaining, but that just means we're b.u.s.y.! And, busy means weeks slip right by.

Before high fiving, a little housekeeping is in order. Congratulations to Jessica and Stephanie, the winners of the Revolution Foods Meal Kits! I'll be contacting you via email today.

Now, let's get to this week's top five.

1. If you've been following along at all you know my bestie and her fam visited us this past week. We  did just about everything you could ever dream of doing in Southern California (no exaggeration, we were constant motion for six straight days). While I took approximately 8,413,499,567 photos, THIS one just might be my favorite. For real.

Kevin (Amy's hubby) was SUCH a trooper. Smashed between two zonked out babies, all the while the mommies are livin' it up in front. 

Tell me that's not HILARIOUS. I dare you.

2. Marcus and Lorelei's birthdays are five weeks apart. We figured since we were together between their birthdays we HAD to have a celebration.

Our babies are TWO!

3. While the kids were together we were able to capture some really sweet, cute, funny, perfect pictures. But, let's not kid, toddlers will be toddlers. Between the frame-worthy pictures we also caught some pretty fabulous blooper pics. 

The left: the shot we were aiming for (and let's be real, we prompted the kids). 

The right: what we got for the first two minutes of our photo shoot. 

4. We ensured Lorelei's visit to L.A. was complete with a little pool action.

Their expressions kill me. Too much cute!

5. In other, completely unrelated Marcus and Lorelei news…

A majority of next week I will be off the grid. We're going on our first legit family vacation. While I'll likely post an occasional pic on IG, the blog will be pretty quiet. 

We are headed back here…

Can.not.wait.

Have a great weekend! 

The Science Center

It's been quite some time since our last trip to the California Science Center. We decided we needed to go back. This time with friends, of course.

What I love about the Science Center is that it has multiple rooms designated specifically for little ones. Everything in each room is geared towards toddlers and young children. To say each room left Marcus and Lorelei enamored seems to be a pretty accurate statement.

Fixing us lunch in the play house. 

Working intently on puzzles (along with working on the 'sharing' skill).

One of the kids rooms focused on modes of transportation. My child was in his own little heaven.

Along with the children's room there were exhibits for all ages to explore. For the adults, it was a nice little break between children's exhibits. We had a little fun, too.

Playing around with the infrared camera.

After a full day at the aquarium the day before, we didn't think the kids would enjoy the mini aquarium at the Science Center. Boy, were we wrong. The kids seemed to love that area the most!

Do you see what I see?

Want to come sit with me?

The next two photos are among my absolute favorites taken of Lorelei and Marcus. There's a feeling of wonder in them, and I'm pretty pleased I was able to capture it for both kiddos.

Discovering the world through a child's eyes is one of the most amazing things in the world. I'm pretty lucky to have seen it the way Marcus and Lorelei do.


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