Hawaii

We've all felt a little desperate to spend more time together as a family after these last few rough years. Mom and Dad were gracious to fund a whole family trip to Hawaii for Christmas so we could make happy memories together. It could not have been more lovely!

We flew out Friday mid-morning on a direct flight to Kauai with Nick and Gannett. We met up with Laura and co., Mom and Dad, and Melia, Charlie and Kamala at the resort there! The flight was fine, it was long. 8 hours. The crew surprised Sophie with a package of fun snacks, delicious coconut shortbread cookies and a handwritten birthday card. It was so nice! But then when the Karen sitting next to Logan started screaming at him mid-flight because he bent down to get something out of his bag and blocked her TV screen for a moment, they were not so nice. You win some, you lose some. Good grief.

It was a long day of travel and we were SO excited to just get there already. Our condos in Princeville on the North Shore were lovely. We had units all in a row so it was easy to get to everyone. They were beautiful and it was air conditioned and spacious and we were all content. We were a little bummed that our drive up to Princeville was in the dark, but it made the next morning even more special to drive out to our first adventure at sunrise!

Sophie woke up on her 18th birthday in Kauai! She was thrilled to find a display of her life thus far on the table with a few special gifts including a tiara and sash to wear all day. She's the cutest and most fun to celebrate! 

It was a little rough to get up before sunrise after such a long day of travel, but it was the only day available for all 18 of us to see the Napoli Coast so we went for it! We took a catamaran cruise with Captain Andy and it was incredible. It was a little cold and rainy at the beginning and end but the middle, oh my goodness, absolutely spectacular. We saw over 15 whales, rode with dolphins and got to have lunch with the Captain for Sophie's birthday. It was truly amazing. Lots of our party got pretty seasick, but I gave dramamine to my kids and Logan on the drive down and they felt great the whole day. As long as we stayed up in the open, we were great. It was actually really fun! The very best part (besides the view of the Napoli Coast which is actually and quite literally breathtaking) was taking the cubs snorkeling for the first time. I was so proud of them, everyone conquered their fears and jumped right in. 

Immediately after getting on the boat we were surrounded by a beautiful rainbow, and just after setting off we had a gorgeous display of whales surfacing and breaching. It was so cool!

Claire practicing with her snorkel is the cutest. 

Taylor was obsessed with being up front the whole day, even in the pouring rain. He loved laying on the hammock. He said it felt like flying!

Snorkeling is so cool. I just love it! And I love this kind of snorkeling where you aren't crawling around rocks or getting scraped up. It's just beautiful!

After snorkeling, we started sailing towards the Napoli Coast and immediately were treated to an amazing dolphin encounter! The raced along with us for almost 10 minutes. Incredible!

Then the rains really started picking up. Dad didn't mind one bit and got a private showing of the Napoli cliffs while everyone else hunkered down inside. My clan enjoyed sitting in the rain at the front of the ship. It was very cold and wet but we didn't mind. It was stunningly beautiful. The chef gave out delicious coconut muffins and fruit and the cubs were ecstatic about the unlimited Sprite. Haha!

Then, just as we rounded the bend into the first incredible sight of the Napoli Coast, the sun came out. It was quite literally breathtaking. I was speechless. 

We saw caves and waterfalls, even more whales and the sun on our faces was just healing!

Roland and Cherry were two crew members who are now our very best friends. They were the most fun! 

All too soon it was time to turn around and start sailing back. Taylor had the time of his life flying at the front of the boat and then laying on the hammock during the choppy parts and catching air. We cool hear his squeals of delight. We had a BBQ lunch on board. We got to eat up with the captain for Sophie's birthday. It was fun sitting up on top. We had a great view of all the whales! AND the chef brought us WARM coconut macadamia nut white chocolate cookies that were absolutely DIVINE! This was so much fun!

The captain told us all about some of the more out of the way places to get the treats we were craving. So our first stop off the boat was to get some delicious Lilikoi Cheesecake for Sophie's birthday treat! OH MY HEAVENS, it was delightful. Of course Grandma came in and bought enough for everyone and made this little Hawaiian lady's whole week by buying these 4 pies! 

Each family had their own cars and space so no one got burned out or stressed out and everyone had flexibility. It was very relaxing. We listened to a couple really cool audiobooks on our drives. We desperately needed to get groceries so we made a pit stop at Safeway and the cubs got some (gnarley) Fried Chicken and Sushi for a snack. They crack me up so much with their adventurous food pallets. It took three tries, but Logan was going to die without a soda and we could not find any. He finally found a gas station with sodas and we cheers a glorious day with a crispy sodie. We also made an extra pit stop on the way home for our first shaved ice and chocolate covered Macadamia Nuts. YUM! We decided to try all the shaved ice and rank them best to worst. Though it was yummy, this shaved ice (Koloa Mill's) ended up coming in last place. Claire...who believes she does not like shaved ice, tried ice cream everywhere we went. This also was her least favorite mint chip ice cream on the island. Haha. 

We made it back to the condos for swimming with cousins and warm showers while Sophie and Logan went on a birthday run around the resort. She LOVED this. She said it was like running in paradise and din't want to stop. So she showed up for birthday pie with wet hair but didn't care. It was delicious!

After pie and cheesecake with everyone, we went back to our unit for dinner. Logan picked up traditional Hawaiian plates with Chicken Katsu, Huli Huli Chicken, Moco Loco and even got us some Spam to try. He's been dying for Hawaiian Spam! Haha! 

Then it was time for presents! She received a teddy bear similar to her baby bear Seed that she used to carry with her everywhere. She got this so she would always remember to keep her childlike whimsy with her and not take life too seriously. She got a special keychain to remind her of our love and support wherever she goes on her next adventures. It says, "Wherever your journey in life may take you, we hope you will always be safe, enjoy the ride and never forget your way back home. We are always here for you. Love, Mom and Dad" She also received her first diamonds from Dad to remind her that she is a Queen and to demand that from life. She is worthy of royal treatment. A very special gift for our new adult. I can't believe my baby is 18! But I could not be more proud of her. There were lots of tears. We are all a bit emotional about Sophie growing up and flying the nest, especially her siblings. But we can't wait to follow along on all her wonderful adventures. Per her request, we snuggled and watched an episode of Stranger Things and then went early to bed. We were exhausted from our first day of adventuring! Happy Birthday baby girl. We love you!

On Sunday, we slept in and had pie for breakfast. Sophie was in heaven! We caught her eating her pie on the balcony while reading and living her best life. I had my pie as breakfast in bed. Heaven! Then we met Doug the Cardinal. While Logan was eating and reading on the balcony, this cute Hawaiian Cardinal came and just chatted with Logan for 10 minutes. Just non-stop singing and chattering. We came to find out that he had done the same things to Mom just minutes before. During our entire week, this Cardinal followed us everywhere we went and chatted to us, especially when we were seated together. I did a little research and found out these birds are widely seen as comforting visitors from a deceased loved one, or symbols of hope and remembrance, appearing when you need them most, bringing messages of connection from the afterlife. So, Dougy was with us, as we had hoped. It was very special. 

 

We went to church together in Kappa'a and it was so crowded with visitors, they had to open up two over flow rooms and the gym! It was cool to see people coming from all over to worship. We loved the service because the whole meeting was people coming up as inspired to share their favorite verse of a hymn and why and then we would sing that verse. It was really cool! I learned a lot during that meeting. I will remember it for a long time.

After church, we decided to try our next shaved ice at Wailua. This one was pretty good! It had all natural juices, not just syrups. Sophie loved this one because they came topped with haupia foam (whipped coconut cream) on top! Claire and Grandmpa also liked this place because they had really good acai bowls. We also had fun introducing the cubs to the joy that is ABC Store! Grandpa bought boxes and boxes of Macademia Nuts and kept us well supplied all week. YUM!!!

Back at the Condos, we went swimming with the cousins. It had the most beautiful pool! The cubs had an absolute blast together and they could have swam forever. They never get tired! I left after a little while to go prep dinner. We had everyone over for a pasta and salad bar and for games. We taught everyone the Name Game and the kids had a blast. They were hilarious and it was so fun having them all together. After everyone left, we snuggled and watched another episode of Stranger Things. We were trying to get through the new season in time for the finale on New Years!

Monday was our warmest day so we decided to spend it at the beach! We picked up some beach chairs and snorkel gear in beautiful Hanalai. As we drove down into the valley Taylor yelled "It's the ALOLA region from Pokemon!" He wasn't kidding, the view looked exactly like the scene in Pokemon. So cool! Then we drove down to Poipu Beach in Lihue. The second we stepped on the beach, we realized we were surrounded by basking Sea Turtles! It was incredible. They come right out of the water between all the snorkelers and swimmers and pull themselves up on the beach to sun and rest. It was mesmerizing to watch. 

The snorkeling here was pretty cool! We saw ALL SORTS for fish right up close. The rocks were a little too close and sharp for comfort. Taylor and Sophie got a little beat up with scrapes. But it was worth it! Claire had a turtle bump into her leg! 

On our way back we released that one of the shaved ice places we were told to check out, was right near the snorkel rental. So after we dropped our gear back off, we tried Jojo's! It was pretty good, but a little watery. The best part was the Mac Nut ice cream at the bottom and the sweet cream drizzle over the top. We also loved hanging out with all the baby chicks. The most random thing about Kauai is that chickens are EVERYWHERE! Literally everywhere. And roosters crow all day long. It's kind of endearing actually. The chickens are protected because they keep the insect population down. 

Back at the condos, we had dinner together at Poe's and then the cubs played a rousing game of werewolf and then they begged to play the name game as well. We also helped Poe start her puzzle. 

On Tuesday, we slept in and then made our way down to Secret Beach. It's little hike down into a tucked away cove. Absolutely stunning. I was having a rough morning and liked just sitting and watching the waves. The cubs gave me a heart attack getting too close to the rip tide, but we survived. 

After hiking back up, we popped into Hanalai in search of Malasadas. We found some unfilled ones. They are delicious, like super puffy donuts. We also stopped in the market and picked up some Guava rolls, coconut shortbread, papaya, pineapple and apple bananas (the super tiny sweet ones like in Guatemala. Yum!). I love introducing the cubs to new foods. They loved picking out things to try. 

The we spent our afternoon at the pool reading while Sophie and Logan went on another run. Then we got ready and headed out early to make it to the Luau. The traffic was a bit insane and everyone was a bit stressed, but we all made it in time and enjoyed being all together. Everyone we met was so impressed all 18 of us were there. 

The cubs really enjoyed their first Luau. It was very well done. They loved receiving a lei. We got to take a train ride all around the plantation. It was stunning. Then we got to feed the cows and pigs tortillas. Claire loved this. We saw all sorts of new plants and I dreamed of living tropically with all this fresh fruit in my yard. Incredible! We saw a cute gecko. Taylor loved watching the unveiling of the kahlua pig. Everyone loved the unlimited drinks! The food was fun for everyone to try but the Hula was sensational. They told the story of the Kalemaku family coming to Kauai. The dancing was incredible and the fire dancing was wild. The rain was pouring all around us adding to the wildness of the story. 

On Wednesday was New Year's Eve. We spent the morning Zip-lining through the jungle! It was so cool. Every time you look down, you truly expected to see a Brontosaurus or T-Rex head poking through the trees. It looked like Jurassic Park! The cubs were a little nervous about the zip-lining, especially after the safety talks (ha!) but after their first run they did perfectly. They loved it! We rode 7 lines and then had lunch over a beautiful pool. 

Logan and Taylor took a plunge in the mountain pool. We could see the waterfall that fed the river that fed the pool up in the Mountains. It was so beautiful! It was freezing but they loved it. Cardinal Doug came and ate lunch and chatted with us. Clara and Kamala found beautiful hibiscus flowers for their hair. It was a lovely adventure. 

We needed a sweet treat after our adventure, so we celebrated at Skinny Mike's Shaved ice. This held the number one spot for quite awhile! It was REALLY REALLY good! It checked all the boxes with strong flavors, Mac Nut ice cream and sweetened condensed milk on top! Yum! We also popped over to the Jammin Banana to see if we could finally get a filled Malasada. We got their very last one! It was pretty good BUT their island banana bread was divine!

We were almost back to the condos when Logan suddenly veered off the road and made a quick turn. He stopped at this road side stand to get me an ice cold fresh coconut. It was incredible! We also picked some fresh mangos, papayas and passion fruits to try. I have never had fresh lilikoi/passionfruit before and I am obsessed now. It's so good. All the fruit is just YUM!!!!

We snuggled up and had a reading party for the afternoon with our fresh fruits and new books. Between books, I posted all my favorite reads of 2025. I blew my goal out of the water this year. I had hoped to get through 137 books to beat my record by one, but ended up finishing 163! Woohoo! Then we met up for a New Year's Eve BBQ at Grandpa's. He grilled burgers, steak and chicken. It was delicious! The cubs played a few games, but our favorite was playing this Mt. Everest Trivia game with Grandma. 

When we got back to our unit and tried to blow through the last couple episodes of Stranger Things, we discovered that Kauai loves Fireworks! We could see a bunch of different displays going on from our window! I can't believe it is 2026. Where is the time going?

On New Year's we really wanted to take a hike! Sophie and Logan planned a really cool hike and Claire and Taylor and I weren't sure we could keep up. So our plan was to drop them off and then take a stroll and watch the surfers at Tunnels Beach. Well, our plan was an epic fail. Apparently, you have to make a reservation in advance of arriving at the park. There is also ZERO internet anywhere around the State Park. So once we were turned around at the entrance, twice, we couldn't even get service to try and book a time. Then when we finally got back into town dejected and found internet, we realized we couldn't even make a reservation until APRIL! Logan was so bummed. All he wanted to do was hike. But we turned things around with the number 1 shaved ice of the week! This was called Wishing Well Shaved Ice in Hanalai and it wins the prize for first place. Everything was perfect! YUM! I will dream about this for the rest of my life. 

We grabbed a quick BBQ chicken lunch at Chicken in a Barrel with all the Kauai chickens running around our feet (weird) and then raced back to the resort for a lei making class! The lovely Auntie teaching the class was so kind and patient with us. It was actually so much fun and I loved that she explained some of the history of lei making and why it is such an important part of their culture. When I explained why all 18 of us were there visiting, she told me that one way the Hawaiian people honor their dead is with leis. And that they will often gather at the beach and release leis in the water as a sign of respect and remembrance. I loved that and planned to do that for Doug. 

It was a little too cold and rainy at the resort for swimming so we met up with Nick and Grandma and Grandpa at the beach where it was warmer. Anini Beach was perfect. We sat under a tree and the waves were perfectly shallow for the littles. We could watch the wind surfers playing in the waves further out. Lovely! There was a beautiful rainbow on the horizon while the cubs played and Doug the Cardinal came to visit too!

But then it started pouring rain and it was too uncomfortable to stay, so we picked up some pizza and all chilled and read and played games at the Condo. The Great Dalmuti is still the cubs' favorite of all time and they beg to play it. 

Nick and Melia made a beautiful dinner of Chicken Katsu and hand rolled sushi at their place! The kids loved that so much. And then Nick bought a bunch of fireworks for us to light for New Year's. The cubs loved this. They were so funny. They did push ups and ran around and Nick looked just like Doug lighting off fireworks, it made me cry. We all snuggled up and finally got to start the finale to Stranger Things. It was a different day than planned, but lovely all the same. 

That night it poured rain all night. Crazy amounts of rain and wind. 

When we woke up early for our kayaking trip the next morning, we got a text that the river was flooding and due to rising waters, it was too dangerous to kayak and hike to secret falls. Logan was so sad. All he wanted to do was hike on this trip and he kept being thwarted. We will just have to come back! Since I was up and couldn't sleep, I popped out to go try and find Malasadas for everyone. I found a tucked away bakery in Kaapa'a called Passion and they had THE BEST Malasads in every flavor. The Ube and Mango ones were my favorite. What a treat! Doug the Cardinal came and chatted with me for a bit while I sipped my nectar and waited for the Malasadas. He brought his girlfriend for us to meet. Now there were two cardinals to chat with! I also found all these beautiful flowers where the cardinals were hopping around. I miss Dougie! Once I got home, the cubs wanted to play The Great Dalmuti again so we delivered hot malasadas to everyone and played while we waited for the rain to stop. 

 

Between rains, we went back over to Anini beach to try our hand at snorkeling because we saw people enjoying it the day before. It was actually amazing. I took my leis out with me and Logan and I went out together. I love snorkeling with him. He pushes me and is way braver than I am. The very first thing we saw was a giant sea turtle! I released a lei where I saw him and thought of Doug. We watched him for awhile, they are beautiful graceful creatures. Also, I just read that seeing a honu (sea turtle) in Hawaii is widely considered a very good omen, symbolizing good luck, protection, endurance, wisdom, and long life in Hawaiian culture, and they are seen as sacred creatures and guides. Encountering one is a special experience, often viewed as receiving a blessing, good fortune, or spiritual guidance. It definitely felt that way. It was incredible. I'm suddenly feeling a little more optimistic about 2026! We also saw a giant puffer fish. I released another lei there. Then in the middle of a bunch of beautiful almost translucent fish, we saw an eel! It was so cool! I released my last lei there. The cubs had a blast playing with cousins and made up a bunch of silly games. They didn't want to leave. But everyone was hungry. We all met up to have one last dinner together. Logan found a restaurant with the most incredible view I have ever seen. 

On the way back, we stopped at the coconut stand again for some more mangos and to try their famous sugar cane drink!  They press sugar cane, mix in ice and fresh lime and passion fruit. It was DIVINE! I'm going to try and recreate the flavors at work! Yum. 

While we were waiting for our food and had just mentioned how much we missed Doug, Piano Man started playing in the restaurant. It was very special but we all cried and cried and missed him so much. I hope he knows how we love him and look for him always. 

Then we came home, full and happy and finally finally finished Stranger Things. Claire was sobbing. Everyone was sad. It was an awesome show. We will miss it. I hope someone comes up with something excellent soon for us all to watch! 

I woke up very depressed on our last day. I did NOT want to go back home to cold and boring Colorado. I DID NOT want to have to put away Christmas and face the daily grind again. This phase of life is hard. Can't we just stay in Hawaii and be on vacation forever?! Ugh.  Somehow, we got all packed up. and checked out. It was cruel torture. Flights from Hawaii are weird. Why are they all red eye night time flights?! We all met up (minus Nick and Melia, they had an early flight to Portland) to go Mini Golfing and had a very rousing and competitive game of golf. It was beautiful and fun to see all the kids together. 

Then we all got yummy shaved ice at Hee Fat general store for one last treat before heading down towards Lihue. Saying goodbye is hard. Easton and Taylor did not want to separate. 

We made a pit stop for airplane snacks and got a few last minute boxes of Chocolate Macadamia Nuts at the ABC store and then drove out to Salt Pond Beach to skip rocks until it was time to head to the airport. We finished our audio books and were feeling sleepy and ready to be home. I prayed so hard for an easy flight. I was incredibly anxious. Thankfully, everything worked out. We did not have to sit next to a Karen, everyone was happy and calm. No one was sunburned or sick. Blessings! The only bad thing is that the TV and Air Conditioning didn't work on our row and Logan was miserably hot. BUT...thankfully our flight was two hours faster heading east and we made it in just over 6 hours. More blessings! We landed and got our bags quickly, the shuttle was waiting for us. It was so easy to get back to the car. More blessings. And there's a new McDonald's right next to the airport parking so we had a quick breakfast and were all tucked in fast asleep by 7 am! Woohoo! The jet lag was brutal though. Easily 100x worse than coming back from England. I don't know why! I was on Hawaii time all week.  Take me back, I must just belong there! We had such an incredible trip. We were so blessed to all be well and healthy, no accidents, no lost kids, no falls. Just wonderful time spent together in paradise. My heart is full to bursting with gratitude.