What better way to celebrate AJ being done with his 2nd year of law school than to relax in beautiful Maui?!
Hanging out on the beach.
Basking in the sun.
Pina colada in hand... virgin of course.
Without a care in the world.
9 days was definitely not long enough.
After my studious husband had to study for finals for hours on end, Hawaii could not have been a more perfect way to celebrate being done!
Our friends Dylan & Kristen were INCREDIBLY nice enough to let us stay with them.
I am beyond envious of where they live.
Their view is amazing.
The first couple days of our trip were really rainy but we still enjoyed just being able to relax.
One morning we decided it would be a good idea to walk a couple miles to grab breakfast at a place called The Gazebo Restaurant.... NOT a good idea.
It was raining the whole time.
And muddy.
And pretty much miserable.
But I must say that the banana pancakes made the muddy trek worth it.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the cutest town, Lahaina.
We did a little shopping, ate some delicious smoothies, and did a lot of people watching.
People watching is the best in Hawaii because there are TONS of tourists from all over the world.
That night we decided to go out and catch some waves... no big deal.
Let me just say that Dylan was the best teacher ever!
I actually surprised myself by getting up a few times.
Notice the picture where I look like a monkey... note to self--do not wear a strapless swimsuit while surfing or you will be pulling your swimsuit up the entire time (in an attempt to avoid flashing everyone).
We both had a blast surfing for the first time... it was a definite highlight of our trip.
That night we decided to go out and catch some waves... no big deal.
Let me just say that Dylan was the best teacher ever!
I actually surprised myself by getting up a few times.
Notice the picture where I look like a monkey... note to self--do not wear a strapless swimsuit while surfing or you will be pulling your swimsuit up the entire time (in an attempt to avoid flashing everyone).
We both had a blast surfing for the first time... it was a definite highlight of our trip.
The next day we hung out at the beach ALL DAY.
It was heavenly.
I had to convince AJ that SPF 4 is NOT adequate sunscreen and that he needed much stronger sunscreen unless he wanted to be in pain for the rest of the week.
But of course, we both forget to put sunscreen on one place... our feet.
We both had sunburned feet all week long. :(
We pretty much indulged in the most delicious food all week long!
Definitely no calorie counting on this trip.
The next day we did something a big extravagant (but something we both REALLY wanted to do).... we went on a helicopter ride!
It turns out the best way to see Maui is via helicopter.
I had my hesitations as to the safety of this adventure.
I am already a nervous flyer as it is.
Before the helicopter ride started, we had to put on our fancy headsets and as soon as we started flying, the Top Gun sound track started playing.
It put me right at ease... NOT.
Honestly, it was one of the highlights of our trip.
The views were absolutely breathtaking.
We were able to see one of the tallest waterfalls in the world nearing almost 1400 feet tall!
There were a few times when it got really turbulent and our pilot said word-for-word, "turbulence just makes the flight even more exciting."
I'm not so sure I agreed with that.
After the helicopter ride, we went to Mama's Fish House for lunch.
Hands down, it was the best seafood I've ever had!
We were seated right on the beach next to the water.
I never wanted to leave.
If I was going to accomplish anything this trip, it was to get AJ to love eating fish.
Believe it or not, I think I was successful!
That same day we drove up above the clouds to the Haleakala crater which is an active volcano that last erupted over 200 years ago. It was sooo cool!
The crater is 10,000 feet above sea level and is 3,000 feet deep.
The next day we went to the beach again.
I don't think sitting on the beach could ever get old.
We also did some snorkeling which was a lot better than I was expecting it to be.
The fish were beautiful and all different colors!
That night we went to a luau and I have to be honest... we were slightly disappointed.
The entertainment was amazing but the food wasn't quite worth the money.
We tried to drink four pina coladas each to get our moneys worth.
The next day we drove to Hana.... a must if you ever visit Maui.
The actual road to Hana is pretty sketchy.
You are basically driving along a cliff on a super narrow, windy road for hours.
On our way there, we see six huge parrots perched on a fence post on the side of the road so, of course, we had to stop.
All of a sudden a guy pops out of a bush and says, "So, you like my birds?"
AJ and I laughed about that for days.
He offered to let us take a picture with his birds which I couldn't turn down.
My face says it all.
Once we got to Hana, we hiked up to the bamboo forest and the Waimoku Falls which is a giant waterfall.
It was absolutely beautiful!
We ended our long day in Hana at Flatbread Company in the small, granola town of Paia.
It was some of the best pizza we've ever had.
Needless to say, AJ was happy happy happy!
On our last full day in Hawaii, we went to the beach yet again and we hung out at Dylan's parent's house quite a bit. They have a really nice pool area in their yard with a separate beach house that was incredible.
I honestly could have hung out there all day... every day.
While we were at the beach, I got stung by a bee for the first time in my life.
Luckily I didn't have any strange allergic reactions.
The worst part of this trip was having to leave.
Until next time Maui... and believe me, there WILL be a next time!!
The worst part of this trip was having to leave.
Until next time Maui... and believe me, there WILL be a next time!!
