Mia and I hopped on an airplane to Hawaii the day after Gary left. I felt a little guilty, sending my husband off to the desert and promptly hopping onto a plane that would whisk us away to a tropical paradise! The vacay was very needed and very enjoyed! I love you Mom and Dad! I managed to squeeze everything for the two of us into one suitcase and one bigger rolling carry-on bag. Mia pulled her My Little Pony rolling case (super tiny) and I brought her diaper bag with my purse stuffed inside.
The first flight to Pheonix was fine other than being about a half hour late. They even made announcements before the flight asking people to refrain from opening any kind of peanut snack. Mom and Dad met us at our gate after a big run-around, but we had to run to catch the connection! I was that crazy woman running through the airport yelling "Lookout!" Once on the plane, Mia didn't sit still, crawling all over Mimmy and PopPop. We flew US Airways and that flight was kind enough to ask the passengers to not open the nut snacks. The lead attendant seemed a little perterbed that he didn't know ahead of time, and we were right there with him since I was told that the only thing they could do was flag her "file" as a passenger with allergies. He said that we could have asked for a restricted flight. Now we know! People have opened trailmix containing peanuts on a plane a mere row away before with no reaction, but you never know which exposure will be the last straw. I very much prefer to play it safe at 30,000 feet.
We arrived late Saturday afternoon and after settling in, we went to the grocery store. YIKES! It is an expensive affair, the grocery store. As much as I would like to live there, I don't think we could afford it! Even if I lived on post and had access to the commissary, it would be a bit much. We didn't find a very Mia-friendly store for three days. The next morning we had Al, Nancy and Skyler show us a great place to eat breakfast.
The resort was very nice! The condo had a full-sized kitchen, a large living room and big bedrooms with spacious bathrooms. The pool was very impressive and was probably Mia's favorite thing about Hawaii. There was a beach on the resort property and the water is just as blue as it is on the postcards! The waves were huge and knocked Skyler around easily.
You wouldn't believe how many CHICKENS there are in the wild! The story is that the hurricane in 1992 destroyed everyone's chicken coops and they have proliferated in abundance ever since. Everywhere you looked you would see chickens; they were in the parking lots, yards, streets and if you didn't close your patio door they would be in your living room! Mia had a great time feeding them with the finches and cardinals.
We mostly drove around and saw some points of interest, relaxed at ATE! There was a lot to do, but so much of it will be more fun for Mia when she's older or heavier, like the zip line tours. That looked like a blast but you have to weigh 80lbs...sorry kiddo! I was perfectly happy with sticking around the pool and the beach and wandering around the little stores. The only thing I wish I had done in hindsight was get a dashboard hula doll. Darnit. We did rent snorkel gear, though. I knew I'd have a hard time getting used to it but I downright panicked! It took about a half hour of me freaking out before I did my ten minutes of fish-following. I'm just not a water baby!
The view from our patio
Mia enjoyed the pool with the waterfall
Mia asked for Skyler all day, every day!
I was pleased that she enjoyed the beach. Her first sand experience did NOT go this well!
The resort beach
Skyler and his waves
Now she wants a bird after seeing how much fun it is to feed them!
Mornings on the patio...I miss that!
Hula girl!
Every morning the resort let the children feed the koi at the front pond
There is a neat little place not far from the resort on Poipu called Spouting Horn. There are holes in the rock where the waves rush under and shoot up like geysers.
The chickens are wild, but very beautiful
This is Weimea Canyon. The road leading up to this lookout was absolutely nauseating! I stayed so carsick while we were there. I must have eaten a ton of ginger candies trying to get my stomach to settle.
The family...and some guy picking his nose
I thought this was funny. It was near the beach at Al and Nancy's resort. A coconut is more accurate than a weatherman!
The view from Al and Nancy's room
We went to the Smith Family Luau. It is situated on an old sugarcane plantation that has been turned into a beautiful garden that has become popular for weddings. I should have taken a picture of the buffet! LOTS of food!
The plantation had a lot of birds. There was a gorgeous albino peacock, but he was in a cage behind some trees and the train moved too fast to take a picture. He looked like this, except he was all white of course!
The imu, where pigs are REALLY cooked! They don't season them other than salting, and it is perfect!
The pretty red bridge to Japanese Island where weddings usually take place
They invited the kids to learn a hula dance onstage. Mia didn't hesitate for a nanosecond! She wiggled her way to the front like it was her job!
She was very disappointed that she had to get off of the stage, but happy to dance on the floor in front of it!
We had a whole day to use before we got on our red-eye flight out, so we went to another plantation and took their train tour.
I honestly never knew pineapples grew so close to the ground!
The big apex of the train ride is feeding the "wild" pigs. They got dogfood that day, but you didn't hear a lot of complaining. They get gourmet leftovers from the plantations VERY pricey restaraunt during the week!
