Kauai

I mentioned our vacation a few posts back, but haven't had the time to really devote to a post that conveys the depth of our trip. I probably still won't be able to, as every moment of my life seems to just be one chaotic moment swirled together to form a day. 😅 I found a few moments and figured I'd at least try.

All the stars somehow magically aligned for our trip. My husband was able to get the week off of my birthday, our good friend who watches our youngest offered to take him for the week, we worked out childcare for the other kids and we finally booked the trip after months and months of looking. I am a bargain hunter and spending money on us for something that has nothing to do with the kids is not something I do with grace or ease. I watched flights and hotel deals for months, finally our friend who watches G told me I would regret not going, but I'll never regret going. That we spend so much time with a family that's got more chaos and stuff and ex'es and O's than others that we really needed to devote time to just us. She was giving me permission, which she somehow knew I needed. I've never ever left my kids for any long period of time. Aside from them being with their other parents or daycare, none of my kids had ever been gone from me while I'm off elsewhere.

So we had finally booked our vacation. A week on the island of Kauai. I have been to Oahu and Maui a few times as a kid and enjoyed both, but I remembered how touristy they felt. I really wanted to show my husband Island life and thought that Kauai would fit much better to our desire to be adventurous and lazy with a side of beach thrown in. We found a great hotel on the beach and reserved a beachfront room. We booked our flights and car and anxiously got ready for our trip.

We got onto the island around 1 pm, went straight to our hotel and checked in. We were blown away by the oceanfront-beachfront room with amazing views. Every moment we had the slider open was filled with the crashing of the waves, and every night we kept the slider open. I've not slept so good since I was a child spending time at the beach house my parents used to rent.

Most of the week I had planned out and booked our excursions and made dinner reservations. I'm so glad I did this as it made the week go seamlessly. I was careful to not overbook us and left a few spots of time where we could do as we pleased. I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel as it was conveniently located in the middle of an area where there were shops and a few restaurants within walking distance. Large supermarkets and banks were within a 5 mile radius as well.

We unpacked, settled in (thankful they let us check-in early) and immediately got into our swimsuits. In preparation for this trip I had challenged myself to get back in shape and lose at least 15 pounds. I dropped 16 and a half and for the first time in decades felt safe in my own skin and a bikini. We headed down to the beach and just took in the sand, the sun, and the ocean views. This view is one of my favorites, but I'm partial to this guy. 😍

We went back in to our room after a few hours and headed off to dinner that was a two minute walk. The Lava Lava Beach Club was amazing. It was located right on the beach with a bar and also offered indoor seating. I'd reserved a beach table and was so glad! We enjoyed our dinner in a casual setting just soaking in the views and enjoying what I think was the best food of the entire trip.

The rest of the week started off the next morning bright and early. Thankfully, due to us living in a time zone three hours ahead of the island we hit bed by about 7 pm and woke up around 5 am their time. This did not feel early at all, and actually felt like sleeping in. I was relieved since I am NOT a morning person. We got ready, put on another set of swim suits, and headed off 30 minutes to the south shore (we were staying on the east shore). We got onto our charter and spent the next six hours sailing around the island on a catamaran. I was so worried I was going to get sea sick, but I didn't and instead reveled in it all.

After a few hours of breathtaking views, they stopped in a reef area and we jumped out and went snorkeling. This day also happened to be my birthday and let me tell you, I've never spent my time doing such amazing things as I did on this day. It was a wonderful way to usher in 37. At first I was extremely anxious. I have never swam deep into the ocean, in fact I have an insanely real and deep fear of sharks. This has always kept me from going much further in the ocean then my thighs. My husband reminded me how much the charter had cost and that I couldn't just sit it out, I knew he was right and also didn't want to miss out on the adventure. I put on my snorkel mask and tube and immediately choked on the baby shampoo they put on the mask to help with visibility and to keep it from fogging up. I cleared it out, got everything semi comfortable and put on my flippers. "Let's do this. If I'm going to get eaten by a shark at least my tombstone will be nice and neat - April 25 to April 25," I joked to myself. My husband was already in the water and I could tell he was anxious for me, wanting to make sure I enjoyed myself. He kept trying to direct me and help me and I finally pulled out my tube and told him I was fine and it would be okay. I had the waterproof camera and handed that to him, told him to take some shots while I familiarized myself with the water and the snorkeling mask.

I was immediately surprised by how easy it was to swim. I floated ever so gracefully and with very little effort could swim a good distance. I finally figured out how not to panic once my face went underwater (which only sucked the mask harder to my face and caused my anxiety to sky rocket) and looked to the right to see they had a spotter from the crew who was sitting among us on his surfboard. He was visibly scanning the waters back and forth which gave me some comfort. I thought to myself, "Happy birthday, soak it all up otherwise what's the point of living?" and I dove down. My husband found me and I went back up to the surface, he said he couldn't get the camera to work so I took it and we went around under water. I was mesmerized by this world under the surface of what I had always classified a spooky place. The water was so crystal blue that I could see for 20 to 30 feet if not further. Fish floated everywhere, darting between my legs and arms. Nudging up close to me, curious of who this intruder was and what she wanted. They swam with ease and elegance and I notated the coloring of each of them. I turned to the right and was face to face with a massive turtle. It surprised me but I pulled out the camera and took a few shots (which I don't have back yet). He looked at me and then kept on swimming, probably thinking another stupid human had gotten lost.

After about 45 minutes I begrudgingly got out of the water, I wanted to go longer but I was one of the few left and my stomach reminded me of the lunch waiting on deck for us. We toweled off and one of the crew struck up a conversation with me commenting on how natural I was in the water. I laughed and explained it was my first time and really my first vacation and we had 6 kids at home with 2 more in college so I was just soaking up every last moment of it all. She congratulated me for taking time for us and how more families need that. I thought how right she really was. Oxygen masks for us first, so we can maintain the oxygen for our littles.

We went and sat on the front decking of the ship and ate our BBQ lunches. Hubby had a beer and I declined the wine, something about the moment of snorkeling that I wasn't quite ready to lose. I wanted to hold on to how I felt at that exact moment for all time. Even as I write this, I choke up at that feeling from that day, it's one I hope I never lose. Magical doesn't even begin to express how at home I felt, how comfortable I was there sitting in a bikini among dozens of strangers, after swimming in a water I would have previously classified as a code red, do not go near, shark infested death trap. I smiled and laid back, letting the sun dry my new style of hair that I have deemed - Hawaii hair/don't care. This is where my hair after being in the ocean and stripped of any shampoo or product finds it's wave and curl from years past. It dries with a slight curl, a bit of friz and a little body. Far from attractive, but I didn't care at all. It was freeing to not have to do my hair for a week lol.

After six glorious hours we headed back to port. We saw a whale and its calf, a few pods of dolphins, and all the beautiful scenery of the island including the spots from the movie Jurassic park where they filmed. We off boarded and headed back to the hotel. We immediately fell into bed and passed out for a brief nap, something I've never done well. But in Kauai, it was easy and needed. We woke up and showered, and then headed off for our dinner reservations at another restaurant on the beach to celebrate my birthday with dinner. That night ended with another delicious meal, drinks, and an early bedtime as we were exhausted! A great way to spend my 37th year being ushered in!

The next day we were up early again and ready to tackle the world. We were greeted by a beautiful sunrise and drove a short drive to the ziplining adventure. This was something I was really excited to do and it did not fail to disappoint. Some of my favorite shots of my husband and I came from this excursion. We were surrounded by mountains and so much green I was in heaven. When I think of what heaven looks like from a human's standpoint - I think of this island. With the perfection of the mountains meeting the beach. It spoke to my whole heart and soul.

We did about 12 zip lines and then hiked further up into the mountains, and wound our way back down to a lovely waterfall. We all stripped down to our suits and swam up and onto the waterfall. More great pictures and we made a lot of friends as we had a really friendly group. The tour guides for this excursion were amazing, Cameron and Kayleigh. They were so friendly and helped us with tips for some great local sushi and places to eat and explore. I asked about Wailua Falls and they told me exactly how to get to it and that we would have to jump a fence but no one enforces trespassing as all locals do it. We hiked back up after an enjoyable lunch, drove back to the zip line warehouse and said our goodbyes. 

From there we decided we were already muddy and dirty so headed off to find the Wailua Falls path. We found it easily and realized it was a tourist spot with a great wall for taking pictures. We saw the sign and the gate, looked around and a local with a pig (yep, a pig) told us it was only about 15 minutes down but to put our phones in our backpacks. Best advice ever. We trudged down the slippery, muddy, tree strewn mountainside. Thankfully there were some old ropes locals had placed to guide people down, and where there weren't ropes we used tree roots to balance us. The hike was a good workout and I found muscles I had forgot I even owned! The view was breathtaking and not something we would ever see on the mainland. Best impromptu hike ever. 

For a bit of perspective on how massive this waterfall is look at the logs in the picture. Now scan directly straight up in a line and about an inch to the left of the bottom of the waterfall you will see two white specs. Those are people. Two guys had managed the swim against the waterfall current and were standing on the bottom to the left of the waterfall in this picture!

That night we went and tried out the sushi place - this was something I had really missed having moved to the Central Valley of CA. Sushi in the central valley you only eat at your own risk. Our tour guide did not disappoint and the food was spot on and fresh, with the best service we'd ever had at any dining establishment in our entire life. After dinner we walked back to our hotel and joked about moving here one day. We looked at each other and saw the serious glint in each other's eyes and talked about if we really could. B said he'd much rather spend the money on a vacation rental property here than acreage back home that we had talked about farming. I agreed. We talked about how in about 12 to 15 years we could up and move here with our youngest. It gave us a lot to think about, needless to say. We have found that one spot on the earth where your soul and your heart meet right in the middle and all you do is breathe. You don't think. You don't have to talk. You don't have to fill the space of your life with mindless clutter. You just breathe and live. This was the type of lifestyle we both crave and yearn for, especially for our family. It may not be a reality for all of our family, but it is something we plan to look further into. At the very least we agreed that a vacation property where we can come as we please and eventually bring the kids to as well is officially on our bucket list. 

The rest of our vacation involved excursions tubing the irrigation ditches of an old sugar plantation, more beach dinners and lunches, more hiking, my husband going on a charter and catching 5 fish (mahi mahi and tuna) which he brought home and grilled for dinner, lots of beach time, meeting people from all over the world, me actually getting to read an entire book from start to finish, a luau that made me realize I think I might really be Hawaiian deep down because I've never felt more at home with my wavy dark hair, my big brown eyes, my olive complexion that turned a deep brown during the week, and my massive hips that were begging to hula and swim and eat and play. My husband was shocked that I spent every day in some form in the water and in a bikini and my self consciousness seemed to have disappeared completely. I don't think he's ever seen me so comfortable and at peace before, and it has been a long time since I have felt it. I don't think I've ever been without some form of self consciousness, and I'm so very glad I got to share all of this with this man I am blessed to call my husband. He brings out the confidence and acceptance in me, his love helps support it all. Every bit of Kauai felt like coming home. We will for sure be going back and I cannot wait to start planning the next trip. We have found our little bit of heaven and it's on a beautiful island that feels like home called Kauai. 

Until next time, Kauai - MAHALO! 💓