Maui, Hawaii

Well... the adventures continue. The first two weeks in May were spent in Maui, Hawaii with the Campbell Family. I had never been to Hawaii and I truly had no clue what to expect. You see all the pictures online and they look awesome; but let's be honest, how often has something looked better on paper than in real life? Hawaii is the exception. We arrived after dark, but waking up to this wasn't too bad...

The view from our balcony of The Pacific and East Maui

The Wailea Marriott Resort

The Serenity Pool overlooking the Pacific

So let me walk you through the vacation. The first couple of days were spent lounging at the pool. You know, recovering from jet lag and adjusting to Hawaii time is tough stuff... That's a lie. On the third day in Maui, Marky Mark treated us ladies to a spa day. If you know me well, you know I will not eat in order to have money for a massage. Although I will argue that my massage therapist, Christie at Aromatherapy, is the best; the Wailea Marriott Resort Spa does the spa environment like no other. Not only did we enjoy hour long massages, we also relaxed in their steam room while enjoying lush robes, amazing hot tea, soothing lotions, and being pampered head to toe.

The same night we took a sunset dinner cruise on the Alli Nui around West Maui. It is hard to choose what was my favorite part of Maui, but this cruise would rank high on any photographer's list. We left the dock underneath a beautiful rainbow.

The Alli Nui crew was really great and diverse. They literally had a staff from all over the world and truly loved being a part of the Alli Nui. The captain's name was Morgan... He's got yokes.

The Money Shot. I am contemplating sending this to the crew.

V, Marky Mark and Carlos

Sunset over the Pacific

Again for affect....

Missy and Carlos

The Alli Nui was one of the best parts of the trip. If you ever have the chance to visit Maui, take an evening to do this. It is about the same amount you will spend on dinner but provides a breathtaking experience.

Since January, all Caroline and Victoria could talk about since I decided to go to Hawaii was the luau. There were too many dinner table discussions to count about the food, the show, the experience, etc etc. So there was a lot of "hype" going in to the luau night.... and I was not disappointed.

Fresh Hawaiian Lies

There are two faces I get from V when I pull out the camera... This is one. The other involves two hands under her chin and cheesing like a 5 year old. I am not sure what causes either.

Missy making us pose for the family photo...

No words.

We learned how to make coconut milk. Well, other people learned. I just stared at the beautiful man.

The show was really great and full of Hawaiian history. No, I did not learn how to hula dance nor did I even come close to coconuts on my boobs...

I am not sure if it was the story, the experience, or the self induced food coma... but she just looked so majestic.

There was a lot of fire involvement in the dancing. However, the ultimate the fire twirler was this guy...

Of course, I had to have a picture with him. Yes, he was sweaty. I didn't hate it.

The next morning we woke up early and went snorkeling in the Pacific. This is also a "must do" in Maui because you make two stops. The first is at Molokini Crater and then to turtle town. Before we go again, I am purchasing an under water camera because these pictures aren't half as beautiful as what we saw underneath.

Our sea vessel...

Molokini Crater

Molokini up close and personal

The royal blue color of the water gives you an indication of two things. First, this is really deep water. Second, the sea life underneath around the crate was truly magical. We were literally in the setting of Finding Nemo.

Although I do not have pictures of the sea turtles, I managed to catch a picture of a dolphin tail from a passing school. 

Mother's day fell during our trip to Hawaii and it turned out to be one of the best days we had during the trip (Okay, let's be real... there were no bad days). We made our way out to East Maui to enjoy a few local shops and restaurants. Us kids and Mark snuck out while Missy was napping to do a little shopping at Tiffany's. Since Maui time means we had no concept of time, we missed our reservation and decided to eat at the resort restaurant. This turned out to be the best dinner we had the entire trip. We gave Missy her 1920's inspired Great Gatsby line of pearls for Mother's Day and she hasn't taken them off since. It was a great Mother's Day.

We spent the rest of our trip relaxing by the pool, enjoying the fresh seafood, and exploring Wailea. It was one of the best vacations I had ever taken. I cannot thank Mark and Missy enough for including me on this special family time. It will be a trip I never forget. 

Aloha!