Day 1

Today was daylight savings and we woke up in Portland at 6 am, went to breakfast and headed to the airport for our 5 hours and 38 minutes ride to Kahului, Maui. The flight went surprisingly fast for me as I don't like to fly. I was introduce to Pog juice while flying and loved it. I drank this a lot while in Maui. We landed and the weather was windy. I remember thinking, this is Maui. It didn't look so pretty by the airport, but as the trip went on I realized just how beautiful it was here, how it smelled so good and now know why people love visiting Hawaii. We then went and picked up the rental van at National, went to Costco and later Wal-mart to pick up some groceries and then drove about 30 minutes to our condo in Kihei, Maui.

Our condo is called Maui Kamaole. The condo is a beautiful two bedroom, spacious open concept kitchen, living room and two bathrooms. Then we we anxious to check out the Kamaole Beach and put our toes in the Pacific Ocean. It was a short walk all downhill, across the two lane highway where we were finally standing on the beach looking out over the ocean.

We noticed during our trip that there weren't a lot of people around because it was an off season. The weather was windy in parts, but over all it was perfect weather for all the activities we did, except it rained a little at the Luau and cloudy in some spots, but still warm enough to swim. We took a lot of pictures in Maui and that is why I have posted so many. We learned a lot about the Hawaiian culture. Mahalo means thank-you. Also, a single girl wears her flower on the right side of her head and a married woman on the left. This was an awesome trip with so many wonderful memories. I hope you enjoy all our pictures as we share our experiences with you. Mahalo!

Day 2

I spent some time at the Kaumole Beach by myself and it was so nice and peaceful. Then the kids, Scott and his mom joined me. We played in the waves, went on a cheap body board and snorkeled some.

Later, we went to Lahaina to check out the sites and purchase tickets for the Luau, submarine and Maui Ocean Center. We found a shaved ice place that my Uncle Darrell recommend we get, and eat it with ice cream and Maui milk .They were so big and soooo good that we went back for more on another day. Now I want to go back to Maui just for the shaved ice (okay and a few other things). We did get a variety of flavors. Tae liked the bubble gum, McKenna the volcano(root beer and Cherry) Scott and I the tigers blood( strawberry and coconut).

Day 3

We got up early and drove to Ka'anapali Beach Resort for breakfast, then enjoyed the waves at the beach there.

The waves were large and brought in with them bits and pieces of coral and small rocks that hit our feet and legs. Every time a wave hit, everyone burst into laughter.

World famous Banyan tree at Lahaina that coves an entire city block.

McKenna couldn't resist climbing in the Banyan tree until we noticed several signs that said "No climbing".

Vines hang down from this tree and when they touch the ground, they root and begin to grow and become a part of the tree. One tree becomes a forest of it's own.

We boarded a shuttle boat that took us out into the ocean to where the submarine was waiting. You had to be at least three feet tall so Scott's dad offered to stay with Colby at the Banyan Tree and we would meet up with him later. Scott's dad likes sitting on park benches watching the world go by so it was perfect for him. The submarine was a nice experience. We were 100 feet below the surface. The girls with kukui nuts turned into Leis.

The Luau -- Held outside in the evening. It gets dark in Hawaii around 6:00 pm. While we were waiting for the dinner, an invitation went out to the audience to come up on stage for some hula lessons. The girls went up with their grandma? It was a short lesson but lots of fun. The food was served in buffet fashion and was so tasty. Lots of pineapple. They roasted a pig in a pit in the ground and it was tender and delicious. During dinner it started to lightly rain and the waiters handed out clear plastic ponchos with hoods to keep us dry. We looked so funny sitting at our tables hunched oven our plates trying to finish our dinner dressed in plastic. After dinner, we settled in for the show. The dancers were fascinating to watch and as a whole, it was a very enjoyable evening.

Girls with one of the dancers.

Day 4

Scott, the girls and his mom went to look at the tide pools to see what they could find. They found tiny fish, crabs, sea urchins, sea shells, coral, etc.

Later we went to the Aquarium at the Maui Ocean Center. McKenna really loved this place.

They were able to feed the sea turtle.

Then we went to Safeway to shop for some food and pick up a pizza.

After dinner we went swimming and hot tubing.