Day 6: Banyan Trees

With all that we have been eating, we figured a run was in order. Going for a run here is pretty painless considering the backdrop.

Breakfast today was pancakes with coconut syrup, Kona coffee and fresh papaya out on the lanai. 

It was a tad cloudy this morning so we set out to walk through the town of Lahaina. In the center of town, there is a square full of Banyan trees. I remember my first time seeing a Banyan tree was in the center of Waikiki on my first visit to Oahu. It was fun to show the kids their first Banyan tree today.

We took a lot of photos today. Here are a few favorites:

The last photo was the view from our dinner table at Longboards. Imagine this with “Benny” singing soothing Hawaiian music in the background.

Day 5: Maui

Today we were up and heading to the airport early to catch our flight to Maui. The kids have fallen into a bit of an addiction to Aloha juice. Although it comes in exotic flavors such as Guava and Lilikoi, it is actually only 10% juice and most probably the rest is pure cane sugar. (better than High Fructose Corn, I suppose.) We allow the addiction since we know they can only get it here. Unfortunately, breakfast consisted mostly of Aloha juice and Pez from Hello Kitty and Woody dispensers which made for a fun 25 minute flight to Maui.

We arrived and met up with my parents who had left for Maui a few days ahead of us. After a stop at Walmart for groceries and Costco for lunch by the airport, we were on our way to Kaanapali to check in to our condo. 

As we opened the door to our condo we were stunned by the breathtaking views that can be seen from almost every angle. To the left, we see the mountains, to the center we see the excitement of the shopping at the Whaler's Village, and to the right we see the ocean. 

With these views, I am thinking the lanai is going to be my happy place for the week. 

We spent the day getting settled, investigating our surroundings and going for a dip in the hot tub. 

As we walked to dinner, we got to take in the first of what I hope to be many amazing sunsets.

Day 4: Waimea

Waimea Bay has been one of my favorite beach spots since Blake first brought me 11 years ago. Obviously, the North Shore is known for the surfing and today was a perfect example of why. I realize they get bigger than what we saw, but the waves at Waimea today were some of the biggest I have ever seen. 

Although we had already taken the drive up the North Shore the other day, Blake was not with us. Besides that drive along Kamehameha Highway never gets old to me. We had to hit Haleiwa and Matsumoto's again for shaved ice. The kids enjoyed trying different flavors but weren't ready to try the Azuki bean surprise in the bottom of the cup like their daddy. 

On the way home we stopped by Laie to see and play in Po Po's preschool classroom. It was another amazing day with family and visiting with Blake's friend, Scott and his kids for dinner.

                                                               

One of the reasons I love Hawaii so much is because there are always new things to experience. I went for a run in the afternoon and on my way back, I was met by one of the neighbor's pet, Boar. Apparently, she is known as “Big Mama”, and I see why. Another first for today was eating Haupia Cream pie from Ted's Bakery in Sunset Beach. Wow that was absolutely delightful! So now Ted's is on the list of must haves from the North Shore too.

Day 3: Ohana

"Ohana" means family and that was what this day was all about. We got to spend the day with Blake's sisters, Aunty Erin and Aunty Mercy, Mercy's husband Uncle Nick, Po Po and Goong Goong. (It would have been truly complete if Aunty Fay and Uncle Jim could have been with us too.) 

Blake took us to Kailua Beach, an incredible beach that I had not been to before. The kids made up for some much missed playtime with their Aunties and Uncle

We ate at a yummy plate lunch place and walked through the Windward Mall in Kaneohe. Then we visited the Valley of the Temples where Blake's dad Harry is buried. We saw Buddha and fed the many Koi at the Temple. 

On the way home, we looked out the window to see a beautiful rainbow and knew we needed to stop at Kualoa Beach Park for a view of Chinaman's Hat and the Kualoa mountains.

  

The day ended relaxing in the backyard while the kids played and went for a ride in Po Po and Goong Goong's bikes.

Day 2: Honu

We had great sleep but were up early to the sound of the chickens. We spent the brisk 60 degree morning (ha!) exploring Po Po and Goong Goong's beautiful yard with all it's many fruit and flower trees and a river running through the edge of the property.

 Blake got to reconnect with his best friend, Scott over a round of golf, while the kids, the grandparents and I explored the North Shore. 

We stopped at a few of the most famous beaches and ended up in Haleiwa town for Matsumoto's shaved ice and lunch at a Kua Aina, a local burger place. 

We also spent some time at Haleiwa beach park and were amazed to see tons of Sea Turtles swimming so close to the shore. "Honu" is the Hawaiian word for sea turtle.

Day 1: Aloha

Wednesday, March 6th was the day for which we had been waiting for many months. We had dreamed, we had planned, then we had waited. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7 am and we would arrive at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon Hawaii time. That was until a winter storm decided to hit the night before our departure causing our flight to be canceled. Instead, we were rebooked for a slightly later flight the following morning. This would mean losing one of our precious vacation days. The “before cancer me” would have grown bitter especially to see that our winter storm ended up to be a windy, rainy day and not the 8 inches of snow they at one time predicted. Instead of growing bitter, I was desperate to trust. I could see The Lord working out every detail knowing His timing was somehow His protection for us. We woke on Thursday to a clear, sunny day and boarded both of our flights without a hitch.

As I had eagerly anticipated March 6th, I must admit I had also anxiously anticipated it. I wasn't sure I was up for the challenge of taking two preschoolers on a 12-hour journey. The kids proved to be excellent travelers and were even complimented on their ability to stay entertained on such a long flight. We landed on time at about 5:30 pm Hawaii time, and our first stop was a local food chain called Zippy's for some of Blake's favorite foods. Our bodies were exhausted from being awake for 20 hours but our hearts were bursting with excitement to have made it to this amazing place that we have missed so much.

If you want to read about our Hawaiian activities from the start, click here. 

Rainbows

While I was hooked up to IV's having chemo drugs infused into my body, a dream was planted in my heart. I would sit with my mom at my side and think of better days ahead. Like a day that we would return to Blake's home and one of our favorite places on earth and finally get to have our kids experience it with us. Now here we are over a year later with cancer in our rearview, making the dream a sweet reality. 

Sweet for so many reasons: 

• we are surrounded by family (not just Blake's but my parents got to come along too)
• we escaped the cold and replaced our thick socks with slippers
• the Authentic Hawaiian and Asians foods are bringing such joy to my husband's face
• the kids are having experiences that we have been longing for them to have
• Need I even say it, this is paradise.

This morning I lay in bed in the early morning hours with a chorus of chickens “singing” in the background (there are a lot of wild chickens here) reminded that God is Faithful. He was faithful in the struggle but he is also faithful in the rainbow, the promise that He wants good things for us. Hours later as we were driving home to the North Shore from a refreshing day at Kailua Beach, I looked out the window to see this.  Coincidence?  Not a chance.  

Will you follow our rainbow over the next two weeks as I journal in word and photos?  

Day 1: Aloha
Day 2: Honu
Day 3: Ohana
Day 4: Waimea
Day 5: Maui
Day 6: Banyan Trees
Day 7: Sunsets
Day 8: Mahalo
Day 9: Hana ho!
Day 10: Spam Musubi
Day 11: Haleakala
Day 12: Keikis
Day 13: Aloha