15 Year Anniversary Trip to Hawaii

A little over a month ago, David and I returned from an eight day trip to Hawaii in honor of our upcoming 15 year wedding anniversary.  

I know, I know.  Hawaii? Seriously?!  EYE ROLL.  

When we first started discussing the idea of a trip at the end of last year, we kept going back and forth about what to do and where to go.  Whatever we ended up choosing, there was no way we were going to go for more than five days.  And it needed to be within a 5-6 hour flight so we could get back quickly if the kids needed us and we didn't waste too much time on the road.  

But then we started dreaming big.  And then even bigger.  We got giddy every time we dared to mention Hawaii.  We crunched the numbers.  We discussed it ad nauseam.  We talked to others who had been.  We fretted over the excessiveness of it.  But finally it was settled: Hawaii was on our top-five wish list of destinations and we really wanted to do it while we were young and strong enough to enjoy it the way we wanted to.  God and the grandparents had the kids under control and we could afford the time and expense.  So off we went.  (Of course I'm skipping right over the literal hundreds of hours spent researching, planning, booking, packing, and prepping, but that's a much more boring post.)


Tuesday, May 28th:

My dad and stepmom got to the house around 7am and we went through a few final instructions with them.  We got in the car and, as expected, a lump formed in my throat and tears threatened to spill over.  David reassured me and I dared not speak for fear of turning into a blubbering mess.  What was I thinking leaving my babies for so long to go so far?  And just for fun?!  The two weeks leading up to the trip had already been wrought with anxiety and sleeplessness and prayer.  I share this because I want readers (specifically Audrey and Luke one day) to understand that it isn't easy to take time away with your spouse.  It takes sacrifices of money, time, AND heart.  But oh is it worth it.  

We got to the airport and went through security without incident.  We boarded the plane and settled into the impossibly tiny and cramped coach seats that would be our home sweet home for the next ten hours.  I got up to stretch every so often and sported my bright pink compression socks with pride.  We dozed a bit, but mostly listened to podcasts and watched shows.  Truthfully, it really went by a lot faster than I thought it would.  

We landed around 2:40pm local time, which is six hours behind Atlanta.  David insists that the best way to adjust to a new time zone is to stay awake until nighttime in the new place and then crash.  He should know best given how much international travel he's done.  So when we normally would've been getting ready for bed, we checked into our hotel and then started exploring Waikiki.  We ate at Duke's for dinner (salad buffet for both of us, chicken and steak kabobs for me, mahi mahi for David) and then walked back to the hotel, took showers, and fell asleep by 8pm local time.  

Wednesday, May 29th: 

My stomach hadn't felt the best the night before, but somehow I still thought it was a good idea to take a long walk to Leonard's Bakery, eat malasadas (Portuguese donuts), and have some strong coffee.  The malasadas were tasty, but by the time our Uber driver dropped us off at Diamond Head National Park, I wasn't sure I was going to make it up to the top without getting sick.  Between the jet lag and our junky breakfast, I was hurting.  We took our time and David was so patient.  We stayed well hydrated and took breaks in the shade.  At the top, the amazing views of the ocean and Waikiki took my mind off of feeling ill and we oohed and aahed over the sights down below.  The weather was gorgeous, but it was getting pretty warm and we were glad that we had started early.  The hike down was obviously much easier and I felt fine by the time we took a taxi back to our hotel and then walked through Waikiki.  It felt very much like any big city and, except for a large outdoor mall with a massive banyan tree, there wasn't much local flavor to be found amidst the Saks Fifth Avenue and Coach stores.  

We ended up walking through a resort out to Waikiki Beach and found a little corner to sit and rest while overlooking the gorgeous ocean.  We relocated to another spot at the resort that had rocking chairs in front of a koi pond and we dozed for a minute before catching another Uber to have lunch beside Pearl Harbor.  We'd gotten a tip from one of our drivers about a great spot overlooking the water.  It was full of servicemen and women from the base on their lunch break, which takes me back to spending free time on Dobbins AFB growing up and makes me so very happy.  We ate, reapplied sunscreen (for the sake of saving words, let's just say we did this A LOT.  We never burned, though, so it must have worked!), and headed towards the historical sites.  

I can't even put into words the emotions we experienced as we read through all the history and watched video testimonies of firsthand witnesses.  The shock, devastation, and fear they must have felt.  The sheer amount of destruction and loss of life (2,403 died, to be exact).  It was sobering.  We had a silent ride on a ferry over to the USS Arizona Memorial, the resting place of over 1,100 men that were killed aboard the ship that day (it is currently closed for repairs, so we could not get off and walk over it.)  A recording came over the ferry speakers and talked about the "black tears"...the drops of oil from the sunken ship that have slowly leaked their way to the surface of the water every single day since December 7, 1941.  Legend has it that it will continue to leak until the last survivor passes away.  (There are currently only five still living, ranging in age from 96 to 98.)  We took it all in and then rode back to the memorial area to walk around the gardens and monuments.  We took time to look over every name engraved and I silently prayed for their families and for the men and women still serving our country.  May our generation never have to know what it was like to live through a war like that.  

We left there and went back to our hotel to gather our suitcases and head to the airport.  Our Uber driver was interesting and seemed to turn her nose up at our plan to head to Hawaii Island for the rest of the week.  She asked if we were more "country" people.  If by that she meant outdoorsy-types that enjoy gorgeous scenery, then yes! 

We were still full from lunch and still jet lagged, so we opted to skip dinner at the airport and get something on the other side if we decided we wanted it.  The plane was on time and the flight only took about 45 minutes...a far cry from the ten hour one of the previous day.  We landed, shuffled sleepily through the airport to the rental car bus, and rode quietly to the car lot.  We loaded up the little Kia that would be ours for the week.  I plugged in the address to our condo and we tried to sightsee as much as we could in the dark.  We knew from flying in that it was a lot darker than Oahu.  Guess it's all that "country."  

After finding our condo building without issue, we lugged suitcases up to our unit and held our breath as we typed in our door code.  Thankfully it worked and then we held our breath again as we pushed it open.  I can't even tell you how many hours upon hours of research and digging we had done to find a "just-right" place and we so desperately wanted it to pay off.

Boy, did it.  It was gorgeous, clean, and well-stocked with just the right items.  We walked out on the "lanai" (porch) and squinted at the ocean in the dark.  It was so close we could almost feel the waves spraying as they splashed on the lava rock.  

We showered off and crawled into bed with a handful of macadamia nuts to tie us over until morning.  As we drifted off to sleep, our dreams were full of the adventures that awaited us.  Little did we know just how amazing they would be.  

Thursday, May 30th:

The sunlight streaming in through the blinds woke us around 6am.  We got ready and took a daylight look around the condo, still amazed that we had found such a great little place to call home for the week.

We drove into town for breakfast and then hit a local farmers' market.  After asking a farmer how to tell if a pineapple was fresh (it depends on how easily their "leaves" can be plucked from the top), she helped us pick out a good one.  We bought that and a little plumeria flower hair clip for Audrey, but didn't see much else that we couldn't live without amidst the piles of "Aloha" (aka "Hawaiian") shirts and shell necklaces.  We drove to the grocery store and I had to keep David reigned in from buying one of everything.  He doesn't do well without a shopping list and stuff in Hawaii has a serious mark-up due to the import costs.  We settled on some breakfast and picnic lunch stuff and of course my coffee creamer.  I mean, that is a necessity even if the locals would consider it a sin to put cream in their pure Kona coffee.

After unloading the groceries, we suited up for the small public beach that was right next to our condo.  Our unit's owners had nice beach chairs, an umbrella, and a cooler ready for us to use.  We spent the afternoon lounging, reading, taking dips in the ocean, and chasing the shade of the palm tree.  It was luxurious.  The black lava rocks didn't make it the best for wading, but we were able to get in enough to cool down.  After a few hours, we went in to clean up and then walked into town to do some shopping and eat a yummy seafood dinner at Fish Hopper.

Friday, May 31st:

We set our alarms just in case, but the sunlight woke us up in time to get ready and drive over to Kealakekua Bay for our kayak and snorkeling tour.  Winding roads surrounded by gorgeous hilly farmland guided us down to the shoreline.  We met up with our group of two other couples and a family of four and made small talk as the guide prepped our gear.  The two kids that were there were pointing out things in the clear water and one yelled "octopus!"  I was thinking "uh-huh" until the guide said, "Yeah, they live in this wall!" and took us over to see it just before it camouflaged itself against the ocean floor.  

We all loaded in the kayaks and paddled the mile and a half over towards the Captain Cook monument, where we would be doing our snorkeling.  The guide gave us some history along the way, explaining how the locals chisel out the words "discovered" on the Captain Cook monument every few years and then the government goes in and fills it back.  I can imagine how infuriating it must be to have a man claim to have found a land that had already been inhabited by natives for thousands of years.  (See also: Christopher Columbus.)

The guide left us out away from the strong current and then motioned for one kayak at a time to paddle in and pull up on the beach.  Once everyone was on land, we walked just through the woods and got briefed on snorkeling safety.  The guide wiped out our masks with the leaf of a local tree, whose oils helped prevent fogging.  We leaned forward, dropped into the chilly water, and were immediately immersed in a different world of vibrant coral and fish.  We spent the next hour swimming around, pointing excitedly at things, and attempting to get some pictures with my underwater camera.  I was freezing, but I didn't care.  It was so pretty and I didn't want to miss seeing any of the beautiful sights that are hidden from above.  

When we did get out, my goosebumps had goosebumps and it took awhile for me to stop shivering.  I sat in the sun on the black lava rock and we ate some of the snacks the guide had brought for us. We chatted with one of the younger couples, who was actually there from Germany.  Turns out that they had kayaked and snorkeled in Aruba, just as we had on our honeymoon.  After taking turns snapping pictures for each other, we walked back to the kayaks, loaded up, and paddled back, taking our time to gaze up at the amazing mountains and down through the clear water.  

When we got back, we changed into dry clothes and headed to lunch in Captain Cook.  A co-worker of David's had recommended a nearby hotel restaurant as a good spot.  It was okay food, but definitely offered a local feel and flavor, which was good.  And just about anything is tasty after kayaking three miles and snorkeling around for an hour!  

We drove back to our condo, showered, and spent a few hours resting and planning the next day before we got dressed for that evening's entertainment:  a real luau!  It was being held at the resort right next to our condo buildings, so we walked over.  There was already a line of people waiting, but we didn't have to hang out long before they let us through to take a photo, get a drink, and find a seat.  There were rows upon rows of long tables filling up.  I spotted a group of a few older couples and knew that was the crew we wanted to sit near.  (Confession: I have little tolerance for crying babies, whiney little kids, and drunk twenty- and thirty-somethings when I'm on vacation.)  Sure enough, we sat in pleasant silence for awhile and then eventually struck up a conversation that centered around good food, their grandkids, and a quilting exhibit one of the ladies had seen on Oahu.  These people were sure to let us enjoy the show in peace.  

The live band got us in the spirit right away with Hawaiian music and the ocean waves crashing in the background made it all feel so surreal.  The MC announced it was time to unearth the pig that had been baking in the Imu (earth oven in the ground) all day.  We joked that it was like when a bride and groom cut a wedding cake and then cart it back to the kitchen and cut up sheet cake to wheel back out.  There's no way that one pig fed even 1/10 of the 500 people that were there.  In fact, it's probably the same pig they've been unearthing and showcasing at the luaus for a solid month!  

Before long, they began calling up tables to the buffet line under a nearby tent.  I laughed as David whispered seriously, "DON'T fill your plate with salad.  Rookie move."  We did fill our plate with purple sweet potatoes, rice, pineapple, marlin, some kind of spinach and chicken yumminess, beef teriyaki, and a little bit of the "imu pig".  For dessert they offered coconut cake or pineapple upside down cake, so I snagged some of the former and we returned to our seats.  It was all pretty tasty, especially the marlin and the cake, and I don't even like fish and coconut all that much!

The sun began to set and we ran over to the edge to take a few pictures of it before the show started.  It was all you expect a luau to be.  There were gorgeous men and women in costume who told tales of their heritage through song and dance.  Some of it was corny, but on the whole, it was a really cool show.  The grand finale was supposed to be a flame and knife thrower, but since it had just begun to sprinkle, he opted to skip the slippery knives part and just do the flaming sticks and poi balls.  It was still very impressive.  

We hurried back to the condo in the drizzle and went to bed, exhausted from a day full of such amazing adventures and sweet memories made. 

Saturday, June 1st:

Saturday morning we woke up and loaded the car full of everything we'd need for the full day ahead.  Starting out towards Pololu Valley for a hike, we quickly discovered we were going to have to change our plans, as the road was closed for a half Ironman Championship.  There aren't exactly a ton of back road options on Hawaii, so we opted to heads towards Waimea first and then do our hike later in the day.  

We drove the hour or so into the town, admiring the amazing scenery along the way.  There were rolling green hills around and gorgeous blue sky above and glistening ocean off in the distance.   We made it into the rancher's town and stopped in a small church for a rummage sale before stumbling on a farmer's market.  The weather at the higher elevation was breezy and almost chilly.  Growing up in Georgia and dealing with the heat and humidity my whole life, I do so enjoy being a bit chilly in the summertime.  We browsed the booths full of crafts, food, and produce and bought caramel macadamia nut cookies.  We walked out and surveyed the gorgeous landscape again.  I told David that that moment - being in the middle of the amazing landscape, feeling that breeze, strolling with him, perusing a farmer's market, and eating cookies - was definitely me living my best life.  

We hunted down a local restaurant that a previous night's waiter had told us about (travel tip: ask locals for good spots and then verify with Trip Advisor or Yelp reviews!) It was most definitely a hole-in-the-wall kind of place and it took us a minute to figure out that you were supposed to walk in and put your own name down on a sign in sheet.  Before long, they called us in.  We were going to order an omelet and a plate of pancakes and then split each, but we discovered that the omelets come with pancakes so we decided to just get one order.  I am thankful we did, because even between the two of us we couldn't finish it!  The pancakes were banana macadamia nut and will be thought about and mentioned for years to come.

Sufficiently carbed up, we walked over to another farmer's market and poked around a bit.  I found a pair of handmade earrings and we chatted with the booth's owner, who had recently moved to the island from Boston.  We felt an immediate east coast kinship and teased that he got about as far away from a Boston winter as one could get!  After a fruitless stop at one more shop in town, we drove about an hour to Pololu Valley for a hike.  It's not a long hike...about .6 miles...but it's pretty rocky and descends about 420 feet in that short span.  It leads down to a black sand beach (from the lava rock) and a beautiful wooded valley.  We were pressed for time, so we didn't stay as long as we would've liked, but it was beautiful to take in for a bit.  We hiked back up, talked to a guy who recognized us from our breakfast spot, and made the drive over to our meeting place for the evening's Mauna Kea tour.

We pulled into the shopping center and found a restroom to change clothes in.  We were headed to do a summit and stargazing tour on Mauna Kea.  It is the island's highest mountain/volcano and dips below freezing when the sun sets.  (Fact:  It is actually the world's tallest mountain when you count the 15,000 feet it stretches below water to the ocean floor.)  We changed into jeans and long sleeves and then quickly got back into the car to enjoy the AC.  Our bus arrived right on time and, though I was worried about being stuck way in the back and overheating, my Dramamine medicine kicked in and I was fine.  We went around the bus and introduced ourselves as our guide drove over to pick up our dinner picnic at a restaurant.  My favorite tale from the bus was that one lady said she taught fourth grade, then later another lady said her daughter taught fourth grade.  David introduced himself and explained that we had a daughter who had just finished fourth grade and then the guy who went after me said, "Well.  I was once IN fourth grade."  It was cute.  

We stopped on the way up to eat dinner in a big catering tent.  We sat with two older couples, one being the fourth grade teacher.  They were from Oklahoma and were very friendly.  We talked about our kids, things we'd done so far on the island, and how teachers are grossly underpaid.  After we cleaned up our dinner plates, the guide handed out parkas and we climbed back into the bus.  We began our drive up the mountain, following slowly behind a car that was clearly not complying to the 4-wheel drive policy.  It eventually pulled over for us to proceed and we made it up to our first stop to use the bathrooms and acclimate for another few minutes.  From there we went to see a massive VLBA antenna (Google it) and David geeked out.  He may have been more excited about seeing that than the summit! 

We continued our journey to the top and made it safely.  We had about ten minutes until the sun would disappear below the clouds.  It was freezing (literally) and we zipped our parkas up to our chins.  We circled the base of one of the giant telescopes and took pictures from all angles.  It was so surreal to be looking down on clouds!  Neither David nor I were experiencing any altitude sickness symptoms, but a few in our group were getting a little dizzy and one had to be taken back down to the bathroom for stomach troubles.  The only discomfort I had was that my hands were starting to ache from the cold!  I ignored it, took more pictures, and soaked it all up as we watched the sun sink below the clouds.  

A minute after it had disappeared, the guide corralled us back into the van so we could drive down to where we would be doing our star gazing.  We glanced backwards as we climbed back in, taking in the scenery one more time before basking in the heat of the van.  We drove about ten minutes down to our new spot and waited inside the van while the guide set up the huge telescope we would be using along with hot chocolate and warm brownies for us.  (I may have been more excited about the latter.)  He called us out and we shuffled around in the pitch black darkness to get our treats and then huddle around the telescope.  There was another group there as well as several cars and trucks, one of which kept flicking on lights as the owner locked and unlocked it to get into the vehicle.  This irritated our guides to no end, because any artificial light messes up your eyes' adjustment to the darkness.  They repeatedly fussed at the guy, but their annoyance was more of an annoyance than the offender.  Then again, that could just because my horrible night vision readjusts pretty quickly so I wasn't that perturbed.

As everyone settled down and the sky darkened,  we gazed up and saw more stars than I have ever seen in my entire life...combined.  It was extraordinary.  Our guide used laser pointers to show us various constellations and then we took turns looking through the telescope at different sights that he would train it on.  I wish I could remember the names of what all we viewed, but I do know it was incredible.  Galaxies and dying stars and planets were just as clear as day through the lens.  The coolest was that we saw all four of Jupiter's moons!  It was definitely a realization of just how huge and wondrous God is and just how small we are.  

Some of our group members couldn't handle the cold and got back into the van after a little while.  I confess that I had little sympathy.  Yes, it was freezing, but it was well worth it.  I mean, when will you ever be stargazing on top of Mauna Kea again?!  We looked and learned and soaked it all in for about an hour.  Just as we were packing it in, I caught site of a shooting star...the first one I'd ever seen.  It was the perfect way to end the tour.  We got on the bus and the guide told us a little bit more history about the mountain and the area before he put on some soft music and most everyone began to doze.  We arrived back at the parking lot at about 11:30pm and drove the 30 minutes back to our condo.  That doesn't seem so late until you remember that we were still adjusting to the six hour time difference!  We crashed into bed and slept soundly, dreaming of shooting stars and Jupiter's moons.

Sunday, June 2nd:

Our attempt to sleep in the next morning was a little challenging as the bedroom became very bright once the sun was up.  We fixed some cereal and ate on the lanai while we recapped the previous night's awesomeness.  The day's itinerary included a rather challenging hike but then we planned to spend the afternoon on the beach.  We packed up stuff for our hike, a picnic, and stuff for the beach and then set out.  

We drove to Waipio Valley, enjoying more gorgeous scenery on the way.  The road leading down into the valley is one of the top three steepest in the entire world, and said to be the steepest of its length in the US.  With grades of 45% at some points, it descends 900 feet in .6 of a mile.  Only four-wheel drive vehicles are allowed to go down it.  And hikers.  We didn't have the former and David really wanted to be the latter, so we went for it.  The whole way down I kept thinking "Holycowholycowholycow we have to walk back up this"...or something to that effect.  There was a man and his son coming up and David made a crack about "so is that way harder?" and smiled.  The man, pouring buckets of sweat, half smiled and responded, "Oh, you're gonna need those jokes on the way back up...You're gonna need those jokes."  We laughed and kept moving, carefully.  

Once you reach the bottom, it flattens out to a dirt road about a half a mile long that leads out to the black sand beach.  We passed a few locals in trucks on their way out and pointed out the gorgeous jungle greenery to each other.  Just as we had almost reached the beach, we saw a wild horse munching on a short palm tree.  We rounded the corner and saw a few more up near the woods.  I say they were wild, but then again, they could have belonged to a local farmer down there who knew there was no need to pin them up.  Between the ocean on one side, a river on the other, and steep mountains all around, I don't think they were going anywhere.  They were very tame and gentle and I walked over for a closer look, but didn't feed or pet them like some of the tourists were doing.  

We walked around the beach and, after taking a close look at the inlet river, decided it was not worth the risk of attempting to cross it to get to another small beach so we stayed put.  It began to mist and we found a log to sit on back under some big trees.  Hungry from our hike, we pulled out our peanut butter and banana sandwiches and started lunch.  

And that's when it happened.  That's when I saw it.  

I put a death grip on David's arm and opened my eyes wide.  "WHAT?!" he asked, understandably alarmed.  With a mouth full of peanut butter and white bread, I tried to force out the warning:  "HORSE."  He jumped up and looked.  There, mere inches away from our log, stood a horse.  He'd ambled over to see if we'd share a bite of our lunch and had been literally breathing down the back of David's neck.  

Sensing that there was no immediate threat, I started laughing and couldn't stop.  David tried to help me up off the log, but I was laughing so hard I could barely stand.  I finally got up and glanced up and down the beach...everyone was looking at us and cracking up.  They had seen this whole thing go down from their zoomed out perspective and found it hilarious.  David and I quickly finished our sandwiches between fits of giggles (only exacerbated by the breeze and/or the mood the horse must have caught because he um...well, he seemed pretty happy for a moment.)  We walked around a little more and then began our hike back up.  Turns out the way up is harder and we did indeed "need those jokes".  Thankfully I had the image of the horse behind David that still, over a month later, makes me crack up when it comes to mind.  That humor helped our mindset immensely.  We stopped about every 1/10 of a mile to catch our breath and take a drink.  Jeeps of people waved as they passed us, no doubt thinking we were crazy.  Finally and breathlessly, we reached the top.  We were tired but we were pretty darn pleased with our accomplishment.  

The elation didn't last long, as my stomach began to protest the stress.  I'm not sure if it was all of the elevation change of the previous 24 hours or dehydration, but it was not the most fun afternoon trying to locate and dash around bathrooms amidst our driving and adventures.  

We eventually made it over to Hapuna Beach and it seemed like things were looking up until we pulled in and the guard told us the water was closed because of a shark sighting.  We decided to go in anyway and changed into our bathing suits in the bathrooms.  We hauled our umbrella and chairs down to the white sandy beach and enjoyed the view and the entertainment of the lifeguards on jet skis and helicopters scouting from the sky.  As David said, New Smyrna Beach may be the shark capital of the world, but those are probably nibble sharks.  These are "bite your leg off before you know what's coming" sharks. 

We strolled along the surf and admired the gorgeous clear water from the sand.  Just as we were about to start packing up, they gave the all-clear for people to get back into the water.  I agreed to wade in with David and we cautiously splashed around and cooled off.  There had been an older European couple next to us on the beach that was obviously disappointed about not being able to swim.  From the water, we watched as they returned from the parking lot where they'd heard the good news and the man ran full steam into the water in his speedo, looking more full of joy than a five year old on Christmas morning.  It was hilarious.  

After we felt we'd gotten our fill, we walked out and laid in the sun to dry ourselves a little before packing up.  On the way to the car, I stopped and talked to an Half Ironman athlete about the race the day before. (Kona is huge for half and full ironman triathlons and hosts the Ironman World Championship each year.)  Turns out he'd flown in from Norway to compete and told us that the beach we were just on had been the start of the swim.  We all agreed how good it was that the shark had not decided to visit a day earlier.  He was especially thankful because he was in the first swim wave!

Making our way back to our side of the island, we showered and changed for dinner.  I convinced David to drive us into town just in case my stomach decided it couldn't handle dinner.  We chose a place called Splashers, and I elected to stick to a pretty mild meal of a grilled chicken avocado sandwich.  It was delicious and I was sad that I had to leave some of it, but knew it was better to ease back into things.  We walked around for a minute after dinner, but agreed that between the late night we'd had the day before and the exhausting hike, we wanted to get back and turn in early.  We bought a few small souvenirs and drove to the condo for bed.  

Monday, June 3rd:

The next day we woke up expecting to feel sore, but were pleasantly surprised to discover we felt great.  We ate breakfast on the lanai then packed another picnic lunch and drove the hour and a half out to Volcano National Park.  It was breezy and chilly when we pulled into the visitor's center and looked over the maps to route our exploration.  There were still a few roads closed from the prior year's eruption, but no "live" lava flow could be seen around the park...or at least that's what they told visitors so they wouldn't forge their own trails.  We drove over to a lookout and saw steam vents and the top of the crater before deciding we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to hike down in it.  

We found the closest parking lot to the trailhead and made our way down via switchbacks (a term I'd learned from our guide on Mauna Kea...I just called them zig-zags).  It was about a mile to the crater floor and we took in the contrast as we exited the lush tropical forest into the hardened, stark lava ground.  We made our way about 2/10 of a mile out but didn't go all the way across and back.  It felt pretty weird to be standing in the middle of a volcano crater.  There were some cracks so deep you couldn't see the bottom of them.  I thought about the unusual and pretty flowers that spotted the landscape and it reminded me of how God can grow something beautiful out of absolutely anything.

After climbing back up out of there, we drove over to a lava field and ate our picnic on a rock wall looking over the results of a 1970s eruption.  No horses visited us this time, which was less stressful but also less funny.  After we ate, we walked through some of the field and picked up some of the light rocks to get a closer look.  Though they were gorgeous and some had beautiful coloring I didn't expect, we knew better than to take any with us.  Aside from it being a national park no-no, there is a legend that Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, will curse anyone who removes lava rocks from the island.  The only way to break the curse is to return the stolen rocks, so each year the the post office gets hundreds of packages from people mailing back rocks they've taken. 

On the way out we swung by the gift shop where David bought a puzzle and we picked up a souvenir for Luke.  There was an art gallery in a cabin next door to the gift shop, so we walked through it for a minute and I picked up a pack of homemade thank you notes.  We left the park and drove to Rainbow Falls, the first of two waterfall stops.   It was a quick stop and very short walk to the overlook.  The waterfall and surrounding lush landscape were so pretty and serene.  Legend has it that Hina, the mother of the demi-god Maui, lives in the cave behind the falls.  I don't know about that, but I do know it would be a great view if it were true!

After exploring another minute and taking some pictures of the flowers and plant life around, we hopped in the car and drove about thirty minutes north to A'kaka Falls, a much bigger waterfall.  We started down the looped path, admiring the banyan trees and bamboo, before coming to the waterfall itself.  We each took a turn estimating the height of the falls, and I would like to state for the record that I came the closest.  David guessed 130 feet, I guessed 140.  The actual height?  442 feet.  So basically we both lost.  We laughed at ourselves and took in the view, which was stunning before we knew how massive it was!  

We circled back to the parking lot and drove down to Hilo, a little town on the east side of the island.  Wandering in and out of shops, we saw just about every possible souvenir to be seen.  A little over an hour later, though, we were still empty-handed.  Everything seemed too expensive or too manufactured and not truly Hawaiian.  It was neat to take in the local flavor, but besides our traditional Christmas ornament and a couple of t-shirts, there really isn't much to take from a trip like this besides pictures and memories.   

Originally we had planned to eat dinner in Hilo, but we weren't too hungry and decided none of the restaurants looked all that worth it.  We opted instead to drive back to Kona, where we changed clothes and walked into town to Fosters Kitchen, a local spot we'd read about.  David had the cajun shrimp pasta and I had a barbecue chicken flatbread with goat cheese that I will dream about and long for every time I eat a BBQ chicken pizza for the rest of my life.  It was that insanely delicious.  We watched the sun set and recapped the day's events.  From the volcano crater to waterfalls, it had certainly been another unbelievable day of sightseeing and adventure.  I ate until I was painfully full, but it was worth every bite and sip.  We both worked hard to avoid the topic of our departure as we paid the bill and strolled back for our last night in the condo.  

Tuesday, June 4th:

Though we thought we'd get up and have a big breakfast in town, we opted instead to have a slower morning and not rush off anywhere.  We lazily and begrudgingly packed up a few things and then walked into Kona to visit a few of the historical sites we had not made it to yet.  Mokuaikaua Christian Church (the oldest in Hawaii), Hulihe'e Palace (built in 1838...the former vacation home of King Kalakaua), and the swim start of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship.  We'd already visited the farmer's market and most of the many shops, so we only ducked into a few places to steal a minute of air conditioning.  

One thing we had not yet done that we knew was a must was to get some Hawaiian shaved ice (which actually contains ice cream and other yummy stuff...it's not just flavored ice).  We found a spot and ordered one to split.  It was huge and we dove in, trying to enjoy it before it melted.  As we sat there, a little lizard approached cautiously and looked up at us.  David dropped a few drops off of his spoon and we took a video of him lapping it up to send to the kids.  


We finished our treat and walked back to the condo to change into our bathing suits and enjoy a few hours of the public beach next to our condo.  Setting up in the shade, we watched a grandmother play with her grandkids in the surf.  We spent the next two hours cycling through reading, talking, and getting up to stretch and wade in the water before heading in for showers and a quick nap.
  
Before we knew it, it was time to load up the car with our suitcases.  I double and triple checked the condo for any left behind items before we walked out to the lanai to bid the ocean goodbye.  While we were so ready to see the kids, we were also incredibly sad to be leaving this piece of paradise.  I turned to David and asked, "You know how I tell the kids that if they're sad something is over, that's actually good because it means it was a really, really awesome experience?"  "Yeah?" he replied.  "Well that's a load of crap that doesn't help anything." I said, half-laughing with tears in my eyes.  

We stopped in town for dinner, which was not very tasty.  It began to rain, which it hardly ever does in Kona, so we took that as a sign that it was time to go home.  Bad food and bad weather made it a little easier to leave.  After returning the car to the car rental place, we took the shuttle to the Kona airport (which is bizarrely all outdoors) and checked in.  Our flight didn't depart until 10pm and we were pretty exhausted by the time we boarded.  Though we tried our hardest, neither of us slept more than a few minutes at a time during the five hour trip to Los Angeles.  We deplaned, stretched our legs, and got some fruit and protein bars for "breakfast" around 3am PST.  Thankfully it wasn't a long layover, so by the time we ate and called home, it was time to get on our next plane.  The next five hours were about the same as the first with no sleep.  It went by faster than I expected, though, and before long we were back on our solid and familiar ground.  

Unfortunately, my luggage wasn't ready to leave LAX when we were, so we had to deal with the hassle of filing a claim.  They assured us it would be on the next plane, but after being awake for 20+ hours and flying for 10 of them, we chose to have it delivered to the house instead of waiting around.

Hurrying to the shuttle bus, we marveled gratefully at how the cool front felt so odd for Atlanta in June.  David's car was right where we left it and we pointed it towards home and our babies.  Traffic wasn't too terrible and we made good time.  As we pulled into the garage, we were greeted with colorful notes of welcome taped to the kitchen door.  We rushed inside for hugs and story-telling and catching up and a flag football game to get to.  It was reentry on high speed and there was no time for jet-lag!  We were up for the challenge, though, and it didn't take long to pick right up where we left off.

It was so, so good to go and it was so, so good to be home.  It was the longest and farthest I'd ever been from the kids, the most time David and I had had just the two of us in a decade, and the longest he and I had ever traveled together.  Was it selfish of us to do a trip like this?  Yes, yes it was.  But it was worth it.  No one else is going to make your marriage a priority except the two of you.  In fact, most things in this world will try their hardest to break it apart.  Taking this trip was a priority for us and I couldn't be happier with how it all went.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime, dream-come-true vacation that I still can't get over.  I hope I never do.  

A lot has changed for us in the last fifteen years of our marriage:  We've bought and sold a house and bought another one; we've said goodbye to grandparents, churches, jobs, and friendships; we've birthed two babies and raised them in the trenches together for nearly a decade.  We've endured scary news and happy milestones and endless, ENDLESS home improvement projects.  We are not the same people we were when we first said "I do."  I'd like to hope that we're better in most ways, but what I know for certain is that we are not the same. 

I don't know what the next fifteen years will hold.  Hopefully more adventures and sweet memories, but I know that because this fallen world is imperfect, it will also hold more tears and more challenges.  It was important for us to stop and mark this time.  To celebrate what we've been through and to connect and ground ourselves in an effort to prepare us for whatever is to come. 

The best part of it all is that we realized that we still like each other.  Really, truly, genuinely like each other.  And I'd choose him again in a heartbeat.  Hawaii too, for that matter, but definitely him.  

Happy 15th Anniversary to My Favorite.  Thank you for this trip.  I love you, Babe!