Maui'd for 10:::Day 3 Hula Girl Snorkeling Catamaran

Ok...I know...it has been a month since

my last...and first...post about

our amazing trip to Maui in June!

What can I say...I am just trying

to relive it...all...summer...long. ;)

The third day of our vacation was like

something from an episode of The Bachelor.

Except there were little kids...not ours,

I wasn't competing with any other girls...

and there was no dramatic rose ceremony. ;)

We spent the day with the incredible crew

of Hula Girl Maui Sailing Company!

I will admit...we haven't done a snorkeling catamaran

before...but I am still positive that they are the best!!!

We boarded the boat right on the beach in

Whaler's Village in Kaanapali

and set off for an amazing afternoon on the water!

We were lucky enough to have the owner of the boat

on board with us...and she is simply amazing!

On an island full of tourists...and everyone

trying to get you to give them your money...

Hula Girl is an exception.

The service is second to none!

The entire crew was a dream,

and we really felt like we were sailing with

our friends...not with a paid tour.

We sailed to Honolua Bay,

which is a Marine Life Conservation area,

and had the best time snorkeling.

Here is an aerial shot of the bay.

(Not my picture...courtesy of Google images)

The good news...

we saw the most amazing coral and fish.

They were simply stunning!

The bad news...

I used a great waterproof pouch

for my phone...so that it didn't get ruined...

but all of my pictures turned out like this...

because of the plastic covering.

When we were done snorkeling,

we loaded back on the catamaran for the 

most amazing lunch!

Seriously...the best freshly prepared

fish and pasta with warm pineapple upside down cake.

I didn't get pictures because we ate it all up so fast. :)

Just one of the features that makes Hula Girl

unbelievable is that your meal is freshly cooked

on the boat...no picnic style pre-made sandwich/hamburger lunch.

They also have a full bar.

I loved that my drink was called

Happy Wife...very fitting.

Can you even believe this water?

There is no filter or editing here...

that is the true color of the water!

We were slightly bummed that

we didn't see any sea turtles while we were

snorkeling...but the rest of the day had

already been so amazing, that it didn't really matter.

Then this happened!

We were sailing back when all of the sudden

the captain stops the boat.

Why?

He spotted an entire pod of dolphins!!!

Apparently the dolphins LOVE

to swim with the catamarans because

they push the water to help the dolphins

swim a bit faster.

They swam and played with our boat for a good

10-15 minutes.

Best. Thing. Ever!

When we returned to Kaanapali

we headed back to our condo in Kihei...

but not before stopping at Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop.

Huge thanks to Nicole for sending me a message and 

recommending it to us while we were on the island.

(Not my picture...courtesy of Google images)

Nothing like some banana cream and chocolate cream pie

after an unforgettable day on the water!

Chad and I both agreed that this was our favorite

part of the entire trip!

No, this is no way sponsored by Hula Girl Sailing!!!

I am a big believer in supporting small, 

family owned businesses

and love being able to share when 

we have incredible experiences.

When we go back, we will definitely sail with them again.

I cannot recommend them enough!

Simply the best! 

Thank you for a day we will never forget!

Maui'd for 10:::Day 1 and 2 - Exploring Kihei

Hey there!

I know...it has been a LONG time

since I last blogged. :(

There are so many things trapped in "Cyber Pic Land"

just waiting to be blogged about...but...I am just going

to jump ahead and blog about our most recent adventure.

I might come back and recap the other things...maybe. ;)

Chad and I celebrated our 

10 year anniversary on June 21st!

About a year ago we decided to go on

a big trip...just the two of us.

We were originally thinking about going back

to our honeymoon location, Cozumel, Mexico...

but then decided on Maui instead.

We knew that we wanted to stay some place

quiet, relaxing, not necessarily in the "hustle and bustle,"

not some place super touristy, and as affordable as possible.

So, after doing some research...I decided on Kihei, Maui.

It was PERFECT!

Yes, I said "I" because...if you know us,

then you know that yes, I planned the entire

trip because...well...Chad isn't much of a planner. ;)

Here we are...on our lanai...in MAUI!!!

The view from our lanai...beautiful!

I found the perfect condo for us on VRBO.

The following pictures are from the 

listing on the website...not mine...

but this is EXACTLY what it looked like when we walked in!

I really wanted to stay in a room that opened

up to the beach, where we could lay out and relax

without having to travel far. I also wanted a kitchen

so that we had the option of "cooking" if we wanted to.

We didn't need any fancy resort amenities because

I knew that we would be spending most of our days

"out and about" so we wouldn't be utilizing them.

As you can see, our condo was ground level...

and mere steps from the beach!

On just the other side of the greenery

was the sand of the beach.

Being that Chad and I are both fair skinned

I also loved that we had a covered lanai where we

could still lay out and relax...but hopefully not get fried.

Our condo was at the Sugar Beach Resort,

and as you can see there was a large pool, spa, barbecue area

and even a place where you could rent water activities.

Another bonus of our condo...it was stocked with everything

we could need - snorkel gear, iced chest, beach chairs,

umbrella, canopy, beach towels, and so much more.

If you want more info on it...let me know.

It was perfect for us...and less expensive than

what we have paid stay pretty much anywhere in CA.

After getting settled in the condo

we decided to head out and explore Kihei a bit.

First stop...FOOD!

We just happened to stumble upon this

restaurant, and I had heard that they had the best

fish tacos..so it was a win-win.

The below picture is from Google Images...not mine.

I went ahead with the fish tacos and Chad got coconut covered shrimp.

They were both so delicious!!!

The reviews online were spot-on.

These were the best fish tacos I've ever had.

Good news...they have locations in CA now. :)

As we got in the car to leave I realized

that another "must-stop" place was two doors

down...so I had to go. ;)

Again, the next two pics are from Google Images.

Other travel blogs had highly recommended

Wow Wow Lemonade...again...they did not disappoint.

They have every flavor of lemonade you can imagine.

I went with Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade

and it was delicious. 

Perfect combination of sweet...and a hint of sour.

We spent the rest of the evening getting groceries,

relaxing, and enjoying the quiet...and these views!

The next morning I woke up super early,

still being on CA time...and was

rewarded with this beautiful view...

at 5:00 in the morning. Hahahaha!

I decided to head to the farmers market

in Kihei...that was about two minutes away. ;)

It was open daily,

and super small compared  what we think

of as a farmers market...but it had some

delicious local foods.

Here is a wide variety of dips and sauces...

there were also beautiful flower arrangements,

poke, and a wide assortment of fruits and veggies.

Right next door was this gem...

that had the most delicious pastries!

After gathering some local favorites,

shrimp poke, ahi poke, spam musabi, and banana bread,

I headed back to the condo for a relaxing morning.

This is how I spent the next two hours!

With no plans for the day,

we set out and decided to drive up to Kaanapali

and check out Whaler's Village and Black Rock.

Neither one of us decided to jump

 off Black Rock...but we watched a lot of others do it. ;)

After walking along the beach, enjoying some people

watching, and grabbing a quick lunch, we decided that we were

super happy with our choice to stay in Kihei...

where the beach was nice and quiet and peaceful.

We headed back to the condo to relax a bit,

freshen up...and then headed back for dinner at 

Leilani's On the Beach.

Picture from Google Images

Being kid-free we enjoyed some yummy

drinks at the bar...

and then a delicious dinner!

Thanks, Mom and Dad for the gift certificate. ;)

It was a wonderful first two days...relaxing...with a little bit of exploring.

So far...we had no complaints about living the Maui life!

Getting Caught Up::::Landry's 7th Birthday

So...since I'm so behind on blogging...

why the "rush" to get Landry's 7th birthday post done?

Umm...because Lexie turns THREE tomorrow!

Uggh...don't even get me started.

Landry and I have a tradition where

I take him to McDonald's for lunch for his birthday. :)

He also told us that he wanted a 

spaghetti dinner at Nawnie's house...

just like Auntie KK and I. ;)

For the last two years we have given Landry

the choice of having a birthday party or going on a trip.

I tried really hard to talk him into

going to DISNEYLAND...

for the first time...

but he wasn't interested in that!

Yup...you read that right...

I tried to talk him into going to Disneyland...

and he said, "No!"

What did he want instead?

In his words...

"I want to go to that place we went

to last year for your birthday."

Me: "Oh...Monterey?"

Landry: "Yup, that's it. It is such a relaxing 

place to go to."

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

What 7 year olds do you know of

who refuse Disneyland and instead

ask for a relaxing getaway?

So...we were left with no choice but to pack

up our bags, load up the car, and head to Monterey!

Why is he wearing blue glasses?

That's because one of his friends got glasses...

and he was sooooooo upset that he didn't have glasses, too.

He went through a 3-4 month period where he asked for

glasses pretty much everyday. ;)

Our first morning in Monterey

we headed straight to the aquarium and

headed to the giant kelp forest!

This boy LOVES touch pools.

We spent a LOT of time there...

mainly because he is so patient

that he waits FOREVER until the perfect spot 

opens up for him. ;)

Traditional picture under the tide pool wave.

You can't go to the aquarium without 

checking out the jellyfish!

My two guys...

checking out the wide open sea!

They had a really neat exhibit

focusing on sea birds and how they fly.

Someone refused to take a picture

in the egg.

Any guesses who?

Chad decided to get in on the coloring action!

The puffins were ready for pictures.

My kiddos...not so much!

Searching for Nemo!

These two are so much better

than a pearl!

Landry LOVED his day at the aquarium...

and as proof that he is growing up...

he ACTUALLY let let the waves

touch his feet!