Hawaii – coming home

After spending a fun day on Maui, we were ready to fly home…at 10 p.m.  Luckily, we had a direct flight to Los Angeles and didn’t need to switch planes in Oahu.  Still, I think the actual travelling part is the toughest.  Thank goodness for cute bathrooms. 

And neck pillows.

And naptime.

While we were in L.A. waiting, we saw January Jones, an actress.  I went over to talk to her.  Turns out she has family in Sandy and was going to visit them.  She was very nice and her little boy was very cute.  I guess that kind of thing happens in L.A.
We made it home Sunday afternoon.  We had an amazing vacation, thank you Mark and Sue!!  I love my Heuglys!
It was fun going, but I have to say it is more fun to come home.  I missed my darlings!!  Someday, maybe we’ll take them to Hawaii with their spouses too…..

Maui – Day 7

Boo, our trip is coming to an end.  Every morning in Maui, Joe and I either ran or walked along the beach.  It was so pretty, we saw beautiful rock formations and ocean views on our path, I could really get into running if this was always the scenery!
Our last full day, we headed back to Lahaina to get some gifts for the kids…the shopping was so fun! We found some dresses for the girls, shirts for the boys, treats with macadamia nuts and pineapple and coconut, and even a ukulele and book.  We got some stuff for Todd and Liz for watching our kids, and got a few things for ourselves.  It was very productive! The shops were right on the coastline so once again, we had breathtaking views. 
I think I enjoyed it a little more than Joe did…
Kinzie got this shirt to memorialize our trip on the road the Hana, the directions were hilarious, “Turn left then turn right.  Repeat 617 times for 52 miles and 3 hours.  Insert random, ‘Are we there yets?’, every 5 minutes.  Beware of blind turns and 56 bridges.”
Nailed it.

Our beautiful Kapalua Bay Resort…
 
This was my view every time we were in the car.  Joe drove, Mark sat in the passenger seat; Justin and McKay in the middle; Sue, Kinzie, and I in the back.  After we shopped, we hit Kmart and Costco (we found some great stuff at Kmart!), we had time to go see the Iao Valley State Park in the mountains.  This was a side of Hawaii we hadn’t seen yet because we’ve been by the ocean the whole time. It was gorgeous!
     
There were trails winding around so we climbed up a little bit.  McKay even got brave and left the path, I’m not sure what he saw, but he came back quickly. 
  
We got a few pictures too…the guy watching us take these said, “Hey, there’s a highway here named after that move, Likelike!” He pronounced it lickey-lickey.  Ha, ha!
     
When we got home, I told the kids we found two houses in Hawaii for us…which one do you like better?
  

Such beautiful scenery!!

Down the road was Kepaniwai Park, which had tributes to different countries and great people that had ties to Hawaii. The Chinese one spoke of a man who began a freedom revolution in China and had to flee the country to save his life.  He came to Hawaii and continued his work there, doing a lot of good for the Chinese people. 
       
We saw some guys carrying a roasted pig to their party, of course, I asked if I could take a picture…One more stop at Café des Amis for delicious crepes (mmm, ham and gruyere!) and live music, and we were on our way to the airport.  Goodbye beautiful Hawaii, we love you!!
   

Maui – Day 6

Anchorman.
Parasailing day! We went to Ka’anapali and got all ready to parasail.  Some of us were a little nervous, but we were all very excited! 
   
While Joe and I were up in the air, I looked down to see a dark shadow under the water.  It looked like a huge fish or something.  I showed Joe and he started laughing at me, it was the shadow of our parachute…whatever dear.  It was so peaceful floating up there with my darling, I loved it. 
When we got back to shore, we had lunch right on the beach…literally.  We ran our feet through the sand while we ate our sandwiches and drank our yummy drinks. 
 
After lunch, we decided to try the Road to Hana.  56 miles of a winding, two-lane road, surrounded by lush trees and waterfalls and steep drop-offs.  Joe drove our van and he did a splendid job, even though it was not a relaxing drive by any means!  We stopped a few times but at one point we realized we would not be able to make it to Hana and back before it got dark.  Driving on that unlit road was unappealing, so we only got about halfway before we headed back.  We did have time to swim in the waterfalls, though, and made the drive worthwhile.  At one point, we got out of the car and noticed two cars at the bottom of the ravine…all smashed up with trees growing through them.  Yikes. 
         
We made it back safely to Lahaina for dinner at Cool Cat…the best fish tacos of the trip, so good! There were some shops near the restaurant, so we did a little shopping on the way back to the car.
     
Mark has been looking for a cool Tiki and found one tonight.  As he was talking to the guy, they realized they were both members of the L.D.S. church, in fact, the sales guy’s name was Gordon B. Hinckley.  Named after our dear prophet.  Small world, and I think that clinched the sale!
    
Another fun day in paradise.