Mahala

I have spent the most wonderful few weeks in Maui. I know...I can't believe it either! So unlike this conservative chic. Here's the deal. I have the most amazing husband. He has cherished me from the moment we met. I realize how huge this is. I am incredibly blessed and every moment I appreciate it. So, on the occasion of our 25th wedding anniversary, he had some big plans in store. He hinted around a bit about going somewhere crazy, but was met with my gazillion objections like: " Most people celebrating 25 years of marriage are in a totally different position. They have a couple kids, maybe 19 and 21 years old. You, know, self sufficient. Not 4 years old! Or 5! Or 8! Or 11 even! Definitely NOT 7 kids to make arrangements for! It ain't easy, friend. But on the other hand, here I have this hardworking, amazing, thoughtful man proposing a very long trip free from the day to day schtuff. Every day is so full, it was hard for me to even imagine adding something so outrageous into the mix. I know, crazy, right? But really, I thrive on simplicity. I don't need much to make me happy. I'm already so incredibly grateful for my life. Yet, above all I do know that life is a precious gift and we need to celebrate every last moment. This man o' mine? He knows this better than me even. He just went and planned all this. I am still shocked by the enormity of it all. He is a kind and loving and generous man. Gifts are his love language. He wanted to show me what 25 years meant to him. So, here it is. Black Rock. This is the view from our balcony. People jump off Black Rock all day long. According to Hawaiin legend, the spirits of warriors left the earth to meet their ancestors by leaping from this rock. I wasn't ready to meet any ancestors. No leaping from me. Also, the snorkling around this large black lava rock that divides Ka'anapali Beach in half is amazing because the rock is almost completely encrusted in coral. We had some cool adventures. Here is a photo from the potentially hazardous Haleakala volcano. Ever wondered what the inside of a volcano looks like? Here ya go: Notice, at 10,ooo feet elevation, the volcano is above the clouds! Pretty cool stuff. We also traveled the Road to Hana. Yes, it is every bit as breath-taking and terrifying as people say. Those tiny windy cliff hanging roads are scary! The views are beautiful. We stopped to hike the rain forest to Twin Falls. Yup, I swam under a waterfall! Here are some other views along the way. Lots of gorgeous waterfalls! From a cave on a black sand beach... I wish the camera could have captured the absolutely turquoise waves. We sailed on a catamaran out to the island of Lana'i to one of the top 10 private beaches in the world to snorkle and picnic. This company was da bomb! We saw tons of dolphins and a seaturtle. This was the little seaport town of Lahaina from which we sailed. Of course, we had to experience this! It was cheesy, but whatev. We had fun! There were tons of these: I think I saw more rainbows than I have in a lifetime. But these just might be what I remember most. Here's to the next 25 years! Mahala~