you have no idea what you're in for...part three

aloooooooooooooooooha!

i'm finding it's still hard to put our trip into words. it was beautiful, peaceful, relaxing, exciting, romantic and fun...

ok, so that wasn't too hard!

our days were filled with sunshine and sand. when ben got his way i would go in the water (hey, it was cold!) and the rest of the time i'd be sunning and crosswording. now THAT is the life.

when we weren't sunning...let's see...we went ziplining in the mountains above the lahaina/ka'anapali area (so much fun...i recommend it...as in, highly)...we partook in a delicious lunch ritual i like to call pb&j...we hiked a coastal trail that took us through lava fields and along a cliff overlooking thundering waves...we swam with huge sea turtles and snorkeled with the fishes...but perhaps the thing we did most consistently (which was also maybe my favorite activity of all) was give our fellow beachgoers nicknames and make up stories about where they could be from and what their life stories entailed...(ok yes there was a lot of whispering, so what??) and that was all just a teeny tiny part of it.

this vacation really was the perfect getaway that we needed. it was a nice break from our jobs and, what i've termed, the "stresses of domesticity" (read: laundry, dishes, waking up at 3am to one of the cats barfing over the side of the bed, etc.). when we were leaving, i couldn't wait to get there. and when we were on our way back, i couldn't wait to get home. i don't think you could ask for better timing...

so i will leave you with a sunset view from our lanai. we were lucky enough to see eight whole, beautiful, unique sunsets during our trip. this is just one shot of one of them...but my favorite of them all. (hey, nothing but the best for you!!)

ben is THE premier sunset photographer
(sunset over molokai, april 30, 2009)

you have no idea what you're in for...part two

as it turns out, ziplining is also for lovers
(overlooking lahaina & ka'anapali)
(we heart eco-adventures)

i'm not sure that there exists a picture that better captures us

how is one to say goodbye to such a beautiful place without leaving a bit of one's own heart behind? (on our way to be on our way home)

you have no idea what you're in for...part one

maui is for lovers

we needed a vacation. like, badly.

nature's pedicure

location location location (aka: our view)

this one is about having all kinds of things to think about

i left work thinking...do i go to golden spoon or target? i wanted that frozen yogurt so badly i could taste it but...i also really wanted these cute t's that were on sale.

so i went for the t's.

i like to build up my golden spoon craving until it is unbearable and requires a good binge session. and hopefully on that fateful day they have raspberry. holy good gracious...

so i went for the t's. i got pink, navy, white and brown. each has an adorable print on it. my fav at the moment is the brown with a neighborhood print on it. -close second, the white with navy sailboats sailing along the bottom.-

i also got some cotton skirts while at taaaaayr-git. (ever see kristen wiig do the target lady on snl? oh my favorite.) i am so excited about our trip to maui. i can't believe it's coming up so quickly...

when ben and i were planning our vacation we couldn't decide which island. what kind of trip we wanted. did we want to feel secluded or amongst the crowd? did we want nightlife? did we want a hotel room? a condo? ocean front? ocean view? a place we'd been or a completely new experience?

*sigh*

sometimes there are too many options. but eventually, narrowing down priorities, we decided on maui. when we first went together in may 2005 it was the most romantic trip ever. e.v.e.r. i don't think it was even matched by our honeymoon. but we didn't have the boys yet. i wasn't in school yet. and we'd just moved in together a couple of months earlier. speaking of our honeymoon, we went to maui for the last 5 days of that trip as well. but it seemed so different. it was HOT. way hotter there in august than may. and it was stressful. is that weird? everything just seemed so abruptly left behind when we left our wedding reception and were on our way to the hotel, then the airport, then kauai, then maui. and getting the boys to ben's mom's was also incredibly stressful. by the end of the trip i wanted to get back to my life. back to my boys. back to normalcy...

*sigh*

this time the boys get to stay in their own home. we won't be worried about where our marriage certificate is or who has it or was it sent in. we won't be constantly daydreaming about all of the beautifully wrapped presents just begging to be opened. (ok, maybe that was just me...) this time we'll have been married almost 3 years. (yay!)

i am excited. through and through. and not just because i have a super cute tote. or some new shirts and skirts. although it doesn't hurt to be fashionably ready.. :)

i am going to have 9 days of just me and my husby...the waves crashing...the breeze...some cold drinks...and the sun gently caressing my arctic-white skin.

romance, eden, healthy glow.... here. i. come.