Since the majority of my time on Maui was spent lounging by the pool, reading (Hunger Games trilogy anyone? i loved it!), soaking up sun, and sipping cool drinks, I’ll share the rest of my holiday recap through pictures. It was definitely a week to remember.
Winter in Hawaii is humpback whale season, as these giant mammals migrate from the gulf of Alaska to the warm shallow waters around the islands for breeding and birthing. On the Wednesday of our week in Maui, we all went on a whale watching cruise, which turned out to be incredible.
During the 2 hour cruise we saw no less than I’d say a dozen whales. Some were various groups/pairs we would see repeatedly, but the number of sightings was very impressive. I think I had only seen 1 whale before, on our honeymoon. That trip to Maui occurred during the end of April and beginning of May, which is pretty late to see even 1.
We weren’t sure how D was going to do on the boat, especially for such a long ride. There were some meltdowns, but fortunately they didn’t last the entire trip. I did take her below deck for awhile 1) to get her out of the sun even though she was slathered in sunscreen, 2) to spare the whale watchers’ ears up top, and 3) because I was feeling like crap myself.
I need to stop pretending I don’t get seasick on boats like this, because I obviously do. Put me on something fast and direct, not slow and bobbing. Yuck. Fortunately ginger ale helped.
But the results more than made up for the twinge of nausea and the toddler tantrums. Besides seeing the whales, some of which came up right next to the boat, they put a microphone underwater at one point and we could hear some of them “talking”. It was so cool.
Mother Nature truly is an amazing lady.
I’m probably stating the obvious when I say our Hawaiian vacation was spectacular, but it was. 7 days and 7 nights in paradise? How could that not be magnificent?
We flew from Milwaukee to Denver on the night of Dec. 23, then hitched a direct ride from Denver to Maui on Dec. 24, arriving around 3:30 in their afternoon. We were terrified of how D might react to a 7ish hour flight, but amazingly she was a peach. She started throwing up at my sister and brother-in-law’s house in Denver that Friday night and proceeded to douse herself and her car seat on the way to the airport Christmas Eve morning, but why wouldn’t she? Just making sure we were paying attention and getting nervous about what was in store.
Really nervous.
Fortunately Karma must have decided to give me a break, because we saw nary a trace of vomit after that. Well, until we got the rental cars in Maui and D decided it was a good time to barf all over her car seat and my step-brother on the way to the hotel, then again shortly after arriving there. At least we made the entire flight puke and crying free, though, right? Right!
So who knows what was going on in that little stomach. A mild bug? A touch of altitude sickness? Much to my surprise that was the last we saw of the cookie tossing for the rest of the vacation, including the tail end we spent in Denver again. Thank GOD!
There is much too much to cram into 1 post to recap this holiday sojourn, so I’ll simply begin with Christmas Day itself. The weather was a little cloudy and rainy, but thankfully that cleared up after the first day or so and left us with blue skies and tanned hides.
We enjoyed a delicious brunch at the Ritz on Christmas afternoon, then watched the Packers beat the Bears in Green Bay. As you will recall, we are a family divided when it comes to NFL football, so R was a solitary happy camper after that game. Ah well. We were in Hawaii!
Ok maybe R wasn’t completely solitary in his happiness at the Packers’ win. At one point that afternoon D came out of Grandma and Grandpa’s room modeling this, an authentic signed Aaron Rodgers jersey. Daddy was elated!
Stay tuned for more of our Pacific adventures…
Mele Kalikimaka, everyone! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas (or whichever holiday you may celebrate this time of year) and a Happy New Year!
So the other weekend I took D down to Peoria to visit my dad and his side of the family. I only make it down there about twice a year max, simply because it’s usually a 3.5+ hour drive and I’m pretty lazy. Not kidding.
But we had a wonderful visit. We spent time with one of my aunts, who absolutely adores D; my grandma, who is also head-over-heels for this little girl; one of my uncles who my dad brought into town to stay the weekend with us; one of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom’s side; and of course my dad and his girlfriend. It was really nice to just sit and be with everyone, and not feel like we had to constantly rush around or worry about gifts, like we do when we visit closer to Christmas. Plus there was no snow – a HUGE bonus when making the drive by myself with a 16 month old passenger.
Here are a couple snapshots from our trip, just because. I haven’t lived in Peoria since I went to college, and the home where I spent half of my formative years was sold when my parents divorced and my mom moved to the Chicagoland area. So it’s always kind of weird going back to my hometown without having an actual home there. Fortunately we are blessed to have family who loves us and always opens their doors.
So here it is, FINALLY. My Thanksgiving recap post. In pictures. Exactly 2 weeks late. Ahem. It was awesome.
We had enough food for a family of 10 and proceeded to eat leftovers until this week. R said we should really have taken some to a shelter, to which I agreed, but unfortunately they have pretty strict rules about donated food and its preparation/handling. So we are still finishing up the pumpkin torte. It was a wonderful day at home, just the 3 of us – our little family. And yes, that is a mini Packers jersey D is wearing. R wouldn’t even let me put a cute little holiday outfit on her. Hmpf.
And since I made you wait so long for some pictures, here are a few bonus shots. Because no day is complete without an abundance of D.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, wherever and however you may celebrate it. Eat, drink, be merry, relax, watch some football, and take time to really enjoy everything for which you have to be thankful. And then eat some more. For if you’re like me, the subsequent Thanksgiving meals are just as good as the original. Turkey and stuffing and probably more pie at 9pm? Why thanks!
There are far too many who will not be happy this Thanksgiving, so please let our thoughts be with them as well. If you are so inclined, maybe volunteer an hour or two at a local food pantry or donate to your city’s rescue mission or maybe even take some leftovers to a family you know who needs them. I’m sure they would be eternally grateful.
I’ll be taking a break to spend the long weekend with family and friends, so I’ll see you next week. Happy Thanksgiving!
p.s. You might want to check back sometime on Sunday, though. I may or may not have a special treat in store for you...
