In case anyone reading this has been living under a rock for the past twelve months, last year was a rough one, for everybody. The cancellation of Dan’s and my Spring Break trip to Cancun with his friends was just the beginning of a weird, frustrating, sad and lonely time for pretty much every human on the planet. While Mike, the kids and I stayed physically healthy and safe in our home, it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, especially for this social mom. But many people struggled so much more… financially, mentally, physically. It seemed like nothing would ever be the same again.

(Note to readers:  I didn’t get to finish this post until tonight, a week late.  Sorry for the confusion but we have been home for a week now:) Well, today is the dreaded day we head home.  Actually, it’s not dreaded; we are excited to get back to our new home in the city and all the exciting things we have planned for 2020.  But, if you have read anything on this blog, you know these are my least favorite days.  We did, however, make the most of this day by leaving the condo at 10 and driving north towards Hawi.  This is the cutest little town of bookstores and art galleries that you hit before driving to the end of the road, literally.  Continue reading →

Outside Pele’s Wok, a great little restaurant in the Mauna Lani shops where we celebrated the new year and met a cute local couple who work as photojournalists. (Which might be Mikes dream job)

If anyone reading this finds a brown Chaco, size 9 in the sand or marshy area of Hapuna Beach, it’s ours!

Yeah, the last full day of our vacation we were once again reminded of how things can take a turn in an instant when it comes to dealing with the ocean.

We decided to venture to a different beach on this day, one that’s been written up in magazines as a Top 5 beach in all the world. Hapuna is a favorite of ours and one we’ve been to on several occasions. We’ve always enjoyed ourselves here.

On this day, the waves were… big gigantic! Continue reading →

Once again, we have had to recover from the last couple of epic days on the other side of the island.  This is not a bad thing.  I love recovery days.  Days that are unplanned, unscheduled, un-anything. To me, that means freedom, relaxation, and no stress because no expectations. We woke up and, of course, made our coffee run for the boys’ Estate of the Day coffees and wondered what to make for dinner in the evening.  Casually, Dan reminded us that while we were enjoying a couple cold beverages on the beach last night, we had him make us a reservation at Napua for dinner. Continue reading →

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The title should actually read Recovery Trip because that is what I was hoping for this vacation. I was really banking on the healing waters of the Pacific to cure my various ailments that have plagued me for basically all of 2019. I don’t like to sound whiny but I’m going to name them here only so that in a year or two, when I am (hopefully) feeling better, I can read this and remember to feel grateful for my health because honestly, I feel kind of shitty these days. The whack-a-mole game I play every day Continue reading →

Last night, Christmas Night, was one of the best meals I think I’ve ever experienced. Peter Merriman, owner of Merriman’s in Waimea, definitely outdid last night with his prix fix meal of butternut squash soup amuse bouche, goat cheese salad with the freshest baby greens, and marinated opakapaka on a bed of whipped potato purée and delicate asparagus. Not to mention, my (two!) lilikoi margaritas with some sort of spicy but sweet sugar rim were straight from heaven, I’m sure. We had a fabulous time celebrating Continue reading →

I know, I know. I haven’t been around these parts a lot lately. It’s been just a little… crazy this year. More on that later. I’d rather focus on the fact that I’m currently sitting on my favorite beach on my favorite island watching my favorite people snorkel, build a sand castle, or get buried in the sand by her brother. Continue reading →