Aloha!!!

**Here's the journal I kept when we were in Hawaii. I added the photos when we got home**

Well we made it to Hawaii. We are on the island of Maui. Andy and I have been here before but it's been over five years. We are here for our friends', Clint and Christina's, wedding!

Day 1 (Tuesday, June 26):
We left the Eureka airport around 2 pm today. We boarded our second plane around 4:15 pm and we were able to upgrade to First Class. That was a new experience for us. Let me tell you, that 30,000 Mileage Plus miles was worth it! The moment we sat down, they handed us a glass of champagne. Then it seemed like they were always bring us something to eat or drink... from the warm, toasted nuts to a full dinner (with linen napkins and placements and real plates and silverware), to the praline ice cream sundaes.

I actually felt a little guilty about being treated so well. When we arrived in Maui around 7 pm, Hawaiian time, it was windy and misty. It was plenty warm and humid though. We got our bags (they all made it... yay!) and picked up our rental car. We then headed to our resort near Lahaina, called the Papakea Resort. We have a two bedroom condo that we will be sharing with Shane and Kristina when they arrive on Thursday. When we arrived at the Papakea we hung out with Clint, Matt, and Carolyn for a while. We didn't make it to bed until about midnight, Hawaiian time (3 am, our time.... yikes!).

Day 2 (Wednesday, June 27):
This morning we were up early because of the time difference. We went to Clint and Christina's room for coffee and muffins. The guys took off to check out the fishing boat they are going out on tomorrow. Some of us girls went for pedicures. It was quite the experience trying to find this place! We made it though.

A bunch of us walked down the beach and found a beachside bar and restaurant to get some food and tropical blended drinks. I had a "Blue Lemonade" which was about the color of Windex, but it sure was yummy! After this, we headed for the beach. The water was so nice.... Andy and I floated on a boogie board out a little ways and then floated back. Some snorkeled and the kids played in the water and the sand.


Tonight we had a great barbecued dinner. Our chef was the groom-to-be, Clint, and he did an awesome job on the New York strip steaks. We were eating while the sun went down and it sure was beautiful. This has been an awesome vacation... and it makes it even more fun to celebrate with our friends. Here's a photo of the sunset:

Day 3 (Thursday, June 28):
The guys got up really early to go out on a fishing boat. They caught two fish and were able to bring one back for our dinner. The type of fish is called Ono. I got up early when Andy left so I had a little time to myself. I walked up the road to get a latte. I also did a little souvenir shopping for the kids.

Later in the morning, the ladies and kids went into Lahaina to do some shopping. We had a good time looking around and buying a few things to take home with us. We ended our morning at Cheeseburger in Paradise. The burgers and fries were fabulous!

Christina's dad did a great job barbecuing the fish that the guys brought back. We also had steak, salad, fruit, and bread. All this went great with the pina coladas we made. We sat around 'till way too late, but it was fun.

Day 4 (Friday, June 29):
Today was the BIG DAY for Clint and Christina. Early this morning, Andy and I walked across the street for a smoothie and croissant. Then we went to brunch in Clint's parents' room. We all got to eat and visit before starting to get ready for the wedding. After this, Andy and I took a walk down the beach and took a few pictures.

Around noon I drove Christina to her appointment at the beauty salon. Then a bunch of us walked down the beach to the resort next door for lunch and a beverage. They guys played on the putting green in the courtyard to see who had to buy lunch.... the groom lost! Thanks for lunch, Clint!

I picked up Christina from the salon and brought her back to get dressed. She looked so beautiful with her hair curled and flowers in her hair. Everyone got ready to go and we got the guys in the limo headed for the wedding location. They had the tough job of waiting in the bar next door before the wedding.

The limo driver made three trips and got us all there on time.... early actually. It was held at the Old Lahaina Luau. The wedding started at 4:30 and was one of the most beautiful, emotion-filled weddings I have been to. We are so happy that Clint and Christina found each other! After the ceremony, we all went to the luau dinner and show. It was great.... the food was excellent, the beverages were flowing, and the show was fabulous! After a quick stop at the bar across the street, the limo picked us up and brought us back to our condo. Here are some photos from the afternoon...

Day 5 (Saturday, June 30):

Andy and I went to grab some breakfast at a place called the Rusty Harpoon. We had a great meal and were able to watch the parasail boats leave from the beach right in front of the restaurant. I would consider parasailing, I think. I think I would want to do it tandem with Andy though. Maybe another day....

After we got back, we picked up Matt and Carolyn at the condo and headed north. There is a VERY narrow, curvy one lane road that we ended up on. We could barely pass another car coming towards us. I bet there was two inches between our mirrors. At least we weren't the car on the cliff side....

In the afternoon we went out on a private snorkel cruise. There were 17 of us that went. The tour company was called "Safari Excursions" and the boat looked like a safari boat. It was like riding in a jet boat... it went really fast and it was VERY windy. The boat took us out to Honolua Bay where the water was pretty calm. Because we went out in the afternoon, we were the only boat out there. It was lots of fun and I didn't get seasick!!

For dinner we barbecued pork loin and ribs. They were fantastic! We hung out in Matt and Carolyn's room for awhile now it's bedtime...

Day 6 (Sunday, July 1):

This morning the two of us went into Lahaina to grab some breakfast. There weren't a lot of choices so we went back to Cheeseburger in Paradise. Yes, they serve breakfast, but we decided to have cheeseburgers and fries anyway. They, along with our bloody mary and lava flow, were great.

We came back to the room and relaxed. I took a nap (lack of sleep was starting to get to me) and Andy read for awhile. The guys got ready to go golfing. They took off around 11:30 to play at the Kaanapali Golf Course.

Carolyn and I grabbed some lunch and a drink at our favorite beachside grill, a couple hotels down. We had been to this place three or four times the past week. Then we did a little shopping and hung out in the condo just chatting. We picked up Matt and Andy at the golf course and took Matt and Carolyn to the airport.

For dinner, we decided to go out since it was our last night on the island. Clint, Christina, Shane, Kristina, Joy, Travis, Andy and I loaded up in the minivan, and went to Hula Grill over at the Whalers Village. The place had live music and good food (well for most of us, anyway). It was a great way to end our vacation with our friends. We talked about making this an annual trip to celebrate Clint and Christina's anniversary. We all think that would be awesome, but who knows if they will want us tagging along on an anniversary trip!

Day 7 (Monday, July 2):

Today was our last day on Maui. We said good-bye to everyone else that was leaving. We checked out around 11:30 am, loaded up, and headed out to drive around. We headed towards Hana, but were getting kind-of bored. There are lots and lots of curves and one-lane bridges on this road.

We turned around and headed towards a restaurant called "Mama's Fish House." We had a light dinner and drinks there. Here's a photo we took using the camera's timer...

After this, we headed back towards the airport where our flight left at 9:30 pm. We were able to upgrade to First Class for this flight also, so it made sleeping and getting comfortable a lot easier.

Day 8 (Tuesday, July 3):

Our flight arrived in San Francisco at 5 am, so we had a 3 hour layover until our flight up to Eureka. It was so foggy at the Eureka airport that the pilot could not land. They diverted us to Redding, refueled, and headed back to Eureka to attempt another landing. The pilot tried to land, but couldn't see anything. Because of this, they sent us back to San Francisco. I called Mary (my sister) and said, "How do you feel about a couple of overnight guests?" She came and picked us up. We went out to dinner with her and Jeff, and had a great time. It was so fun to hang out with them for the night.

Day 9 (Wedensday, July 4):

Mary and Jeff have this awesome view of San Francisco. This is the sunrise we woke up to this morning....