Last Hawaii Days

On one of our last days in Hawaii we finally checked off a trip bucket list item that I had. Drink something delicious out of a pineapple! I tried to get one at the resort and they didn't offer anything like that so we improvised and made our own at the house. 

We also finally caught a good sunset outside our house. The clouds had been blocking our view for most of the week but they finally cleared for one of our last nights.

We also saw a pretty sweet rainbow right in our backyard.  It clearly didn't photograph well but you can see it if you squint.

I didn't get many pictures of one of my favorite activities and that's because we were in a kayak for most of it. We booked a guided kayak tour to a hidden waterfall and it was so nice. The weather was so perfect, the hike was pretty, and it culminated with a swim at the bottom of a waterfall.

It was cold but not nearly as cold as the first waterfall we swam in. It felt good after a long kayak trip. 

On our next to last day we ventured to the other side of Kauai to the Waimea Canyon. It was a long drive but it was so worth it and so beautiful!

See the tiny waterfall in the distance?

 

 

Here's some perspective for you. Do you see that white dot just left of center? That's a helicopter!! Look how tiny it is!!!

We had a red-eye home which was pretty brutal. It meant we had a full day to kill before we had to board a series of flights. We traveled for a full 24 hours after we had been up all day. The last day we found a resort on the beach and borrowed some of their beach chairs and read all day. It was beautiful and the perfect way to chill on our last day.

Jay asked us if Hawaii is worth all the hype and Derrick and I both agree that it is. My two pieces of advice are go for a long time and splurge a little on your accommodations. We went for 17 days and that was our best decision. We felt so relaxed and we weren't thinking about how soon we had to go home.  We definitely splurged a bit on our housing but it made the trip feel so much more luxurious and special. You don't have to go crazy here but I think it really puts you in vacation mode if you're waking up in a place that feels a little more special than your average hotel.

I can't believe the Hawaii posts are done! Now it's on to a few house updates and baby, baby, baby!

Kauai Hikes

We did two pretty great hikes in Kauai. The first was called the Sleeping Giant and Derrick and I did a solo day trip to hike this one. It wasn't too strenuous for the most part although we did feel like we were rock climbing in two areas. 

 

It was mostly switch backs all the way to the top. When we got to the end there was an option to go a little farther for better views. It was a straight up rock scramble and probably my favorite part of the hike.

The views were different than our other hikes because we were looking out over a populated area but they were still gorgeous and worth every mile.

The other big hike we did was the Kalalau Trail and the Hanakapi'ai waterfall trail.

We Joel, Cat, and the boys went with us for the first mile and then Derrick and I ventured on alone to the falls. It was an 8 mile hike round trip but it was probably the least strenuous elevation wise. The only rough part was the uphill at the very end...brutal.

The second half of the trail included a lot of stream crossings which was pretty fun. We brought both chacos and hiking shoes so we switched back and forth throughout the hike. As we got closer to the waterfall there were some rock scrambles which is always fun.

The waterfall was amazing! It was huge and loud! There was a pool at the bottom that Derrick and I weren't planning on swimming in but then this family convinced us that it wasn't that cold. They were CRAZY! It was absolutely freezing! We made it underneath the falls and then swam back quick!

Derrick did stay in for a picture for me.

Here's a video of this last hike where you get to witness our swimming indecision!

This was definitely a highlight of the trip and our favorite hike!

Golden Cinco de Marcey

Today is our golden anniversary! Married for 5 years on 5/5. It has completely flown by and I feel like we've accomplished a lot in those 5 years. We're both in jobs we enjoy, we're homeowners, we bought two new (to us) cars, have a thriving 8.5 year old dog, and a baby on the way. Life's about to get a lot more hectic and hopefully a whole lot sweeter but I think I'll use this time between May and November to really soak up our last months of just being the two of us. I don't want to rush it. 

Happy Anniversary Derrick! Thanks for spoiling me every day! I'm the luckiest girl in the world!

Week Two in Kauai

We spent over two weeks in Hawaii and it was amazing!! The travel days are so brutal, I highly suggest taking that long so you get to really relax and have time to explore. My second recommendation is find somewhere nice to stay. We splurged on an amazing house with breathtaking views. I think it was totally worth it.

This is the view from the backyard. The sun set right over that right hand jut of land so we got a view every night....well, when the clouds cooperated.

Dinner spot because why would you ever eat inside here!

I don't think I got a picture of the gazebo but it was hidden in the back of the yard with a fire pit, comfy couches, and a perfect view onto the ocean.

The location worked out really well for us. The beach that you can see from the house is where the boys ended up at the end of every day because the boogie boarding was crazy. Derrick and I went down once and I got about four waves in before Derrick decided it wasn't safe. It was probably a good call....the waves were 15 feet tall....not much of an exaggeration, and Derrick ended up snapping the boogie board in half on one of his rides. 

We found a really cool, rocky hike that was pretty close to the house for our first day there. 

 

This part was kind of like the blow hole...it was a hollowed out area in the rock and the ocean would rise from below and fill it.

This was about the point the rest of the family headed back and Derrick and I ventured on for a little ways.  Walking along the lava rock was really cool because there were areas that were really shallow and then deeper areas but they all had fish and other life in them. There were a lot of crabs but I could never grab one on camera before they ran off.

This was the best part! This huge valley was cut into the rock and the ocean would rise and crash into it. It was very cool. I captured it on video so you could see it.

Kauai had a lot more hiking and adventuring! More posts to come!

In Other News

I still have a week of Hawaii posts to write but there are a lot of other updates to post about including a new light fixture in the kitchen, the end of our high school season, and this other pretty major life event that has been consuming our thoughts lately.

Yep....our world has turned all baby over here. I'll share more details, our complete lack of commitment to weekly bump shots, and current status updates in future posts. For now...I'll just leave this here.





****Thanks to expecting Grandma Michelle Marcey for making us the cute onesie!

****Thanks to expecting new cousin Jamie Marcey for taking the photo!