Hawaii

We just got home from one of our best vacations ever.  We spent a week in Hawaii on the island of Kauai with my dear mama, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, Jackson.  We left our bambinos in the care of Grammie and Grandpa.  Even though our week was jam packed with lots of sightseeing and adventures it was also so very relaxing. The island is totally laid back and the weather was simply beautiful.  

 Ryan and I hiked the Kalalau trail to the Hanakapi'ai falls which was only 8 miles roundtrip.  The first few miles were along the coast which was so pretty and then we were in a tropical forest full of fruit and delicious smelling plants.  The waterfall was huge!  And hiking at sea level was pretty much awesome, considering most of our hiking is at about 9,000-12,000 feet. 

 Ryan and I also hiked to the Secret Lava Pools where we soaked in a fairly deep pool watching the waves roll in.

 Some of my favorite things were hanging out with the fam, trying as much local food as we could stand, and shopping in all the fun towns along the coast.  And of course hanging at the beach.

During our stay there we were able to travel all the way from the north end of the island to the south end.  We were staying on the north shore, which was lush, green, and beautiful.  The landscape kept changing as you went farther south.  Down at the south shore we visited the Waimea Canyon, the Kalalau Valley, Po'ipu and the Spouting Horn Beach. 

We also went on a sunset sail and watched the sun set over the ocean and attended a garden tour and lu'au.  I loved both of these. So many pretty sights and good food!

We spent a ton of time on the various beaches.  Some were so peaceful and vast and others had crashing waves that you could watch for hours.  We snorkled (for my first time) at Ke'e, Tunnels, and Hideaways.  The sea life was incredible.  We swam and enjoyed the sunshine at Hanalei Bay, 'Anini, Secret Beach, Waipouli, Maha'ulepu, and Po'ipu Beach Park. 

My sister and I were trying to decide what was our favorite and we just couldn't.  I loved laughing and making memories with my family. And I love going new places with Ryan and trying new things. But, it's also so nice to be home.  

upgrade

Ryan and I cashed in one of our Christmas presents: a night at the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, complete with a night of babysitting from the grandparents.  We had a wonderful time.  We spent all morning hiking near the Chalk Cliffs.  We had picnic lunch and just kept on going, with no particular path or trail in mind.  It was a beautiful day.  Of course I left the sunscreen in the car and got just a little fried.

After our hike we headed to the hot springs to enjoy the warm weather and soak for a bit.  Our room wasn't ready yet, so we just headed to the spa and sat for a couple hours in one of the cooler pools.  When they finally gave us our room key we were in for a bit of a surprise when we walked in....it was somebody's else's room.   At least that's what we thought from the looks of it. The beds weren't made and there were pillows and blankets all over. Turns out there was a little miscommunication between housekeeping and the front desk which translated to a poolside cabin upgrade for me and the hubby! 

It was pretty funny really, but we weren't  complaining.  It made the trip just that much nicer.  We unloaded all our gear and headed into town for dinner.  We went to one of our favorite pizza places (actually we like the salads there almost more than the pizza!), called Amicas.  Then we picked up some items from a bakery on main street for breakfast the next day.  By then the hot springs were calling our name again.

We found ourselves in the company of a really sweet couple for a majority of the evening.  We talked about kids, parenting, school, and small-town living.  They headed off for dinner and we stayed long enough to watch the stars come out.

After sleeping in until eight (I really don't know the last time that happened!) we hit up the hot springs for one last dip.  Then we went to our favorite coffee shop, Bongo Billy's, and spent the rest of the day at some antique shops.  We found a lot of fun items and actually have a few more things hanging on our walls now.  We are so thankful for that thoughtful gift from Ryan's parents. 

comanche lake

On Monday Ryan and I headed out on our first hike together in over a year. We hit the trail to Comanche Lake. It was 11 miles roundtrip. It felt so good to get out and do some hiking. I'm not gonna lie though...my legs are still sore:) It was a beautiful day (we made it home long before the afternoon rain showers) and a beautiful hike. There were wildflowers all along the trail. The lake was so peaceful. We stopped and had lunch there before heading back down. I tried a new recipe for homemade granola bars, but I found them to be too sweet. So I'm still on the lookout for the perfect bar.

There were many places where we stopped to enjoy the views. We could even see town a couple times through all the trees. We saw a couple marmots (I totally lost a bet too...I thought it was pikas that were nicknamed whistle pigs but it turns out that it is marmots..so ryan got the backrub!) I love those little creatures. We always see them when we get above treeline...our little hiking companions that let us know we're almost there. About the time my legs start to feel like jello.

It was the perfect way to start the day, hiking with Ryan in such a beautiful setting.