Maui Wowie

And...it's a month later!

I'm going to jump right in here because it's time to make dinner and I just spent all of my writing time uploading pictures, plus I'm right in the middle of reading a really good book and my Kindle won't read itself. 

It's a rough life.

Here it is, my trip to Maui as Instagrammed by yours truly:

This was my first Maui sunrise. There are no words for this.

There are words for this, though. We drove the famed road to Hana. It is a 50 mile trip which takes an entire day because of all of the food that you have to stop and try along the way. There are also a lot of things to see along this road, like waterfalls and jungles and rainbow eucalyptus trees and these birds:

At the end of the road we hiked through this absolutely breathtaking, spectacular, awe-inspiring, (insert adjective that might seem exaggerated but it's not) bamboo forest which is now among the top 5 places I have ever visited in my entire life.

And this is the only way to exit a convertible when you are 5'10".

 On Saturday Lisa and I ran a half marathon. The runners all piled into school buses which dropped us off at the start line in Iao Valley State Park. It looks like this:

And it RAINED. When the starting conch was blown we were sloshing through about four inches of water on the road and it kept raining - a heavenly, drenching rain that did not let up for the entire 13.1 miles. I loved it. The pain of the run, not so much.

After that the clouds broke we ate some roadside food and crashed on the beach like a couple of hobos.

A day or two later (the whole trip was a blur, really) we drove to the other side of the island to see the Nakalele Blowhole, which, for the record, is not a water park. 

It looks like this:

And this. I told Chancho that this is the birthplace of all heart-shaped rocks. Pretty sure he knew I was full of it.

I love Maui. When days get rough, and I am sure my rough days will come, this is where I will go in my mind:

On my last day in heaven, Lisa and I did a little bit of paddle boarding. Long story short, I fell a lot. One time, in an effort to avoid falling in the ocean, I fell right on top of my board and paddle and knocked the wind out of myself. It was humiliating, BUT I didn't have to get eaten by a stingray. I saw a stingray that could have eaten me, so I know they exist and that they don't like people from the mainland.

Finally, shave ice. I think I tried every flavor. If your future travel plans take you to the islands, be sure to get the haupia ice cream on bottom, the mochi, and the snow cap on top. That's the only way to do it. I even brought a little one home with me and put it on my car. I might have a small addiction. 

Now I am home, reunited with my children and my husband and Texas. I miss my sister. I miss Maui. But I wouldn't trade these guys for a million Maui sunsets or shave ices or bamboo forests:

It's good to be home. :)