Back from paradise...
We finally took that thing called "vacation". Yes, it's been a long time since the last time our family actually took a vacation that didn't involve family weddings, birthdays or holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas). It was just purely for relaxation... no work involved. Kids had a week off for Presidents' Birthdays and Eddie also took two weeks off, so off we went to Kauai, Hawaii. We had a great hook-up thanks to our friends who had connections. We stayed at Marriotts in Poipu Beach, Kauai. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Although it is the smallest Hawaiian island we did not even see half of it. We spent most of our time in the water. No one wanted to go exploring! But I suppose part of being on "vacation" is the ability to do nothing at all. Although Eddie & I grew up near the beach our children have not had that opportunity, so this was a new and exciting experience for them... to swim, snorkel, boogie board and surf in a warm, tropical ocean water. They had a blast! In fact they even made a comment about just living there. who knows, maybe one of them will go to University of Hawaii!
on our plane ride... beautiful clouds
it was a long flight...
and kids had to keep themselves occupied
girls peaking back every now and then...
we're finally here... Poipu Beach
view from the Marriott Resort
gorgeous sunsets...
with tiki torch lights on at night...
beautifully kept property grounds...
Rachel running at sunrise...
It really was beautiful...
there are tons of wild hens/rooters roaming around the island...
it rains throughout the day... thus this beautiful rainbow
Lizzy really enjoyed boogie boarding...
Jeffrey & Rachel getting ready to boogie board...
one of our rare exploration outside of the resort
Waimea Canyon, AKA Grand Canyon of Hawaii
girls...
boys...
and after the hike we stopped by the famous Jo-Jo's for shaved ice... yummy!
then once back at the resort we were back in the water again...
here's Lizzy & Rachel snorkeling
we saw many tropical fish...
including this one, Hawaii's State fish
HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA"A
girls drying up...
Rachel getting some conditioning in...
kids spent many hours digging in sand...
Lizzy back on the boogie board
we rented couple of surf boards
here's Jeff giving surfing a try
Chris also gave surfing a try
Eddie found this deserted beach nearby and so we went to check it out
monk seal sleeping at the beach
it was absolutely gorgeous
so picturesque...
hmmm... should we put up our boys here for the night?
this was the entrance to the very private Mahaulepu Beach
we went "off-roading" with our rental minivam
one of the "shacks" in a little town called Koloa
Eddie said he wants to buy it and fix it up... LOL
Spouting Horn Park...
water shoots out like old faithful geyser
back at our resort... surfing again
and digging some more
absolutely beautiful sunsets
boys with their surf boards...
actually looks very good
our romantic sunset shot
last sunrise before leaving the resort...
kids watching tv in the morning...
obligatory "matching outfits"
until next time...
