Maui

Brandon and I celebrated our 15th anniversary this year and it definitely felt worth celebrating.  We've worked hard to make our marriage what it is.  Sometimes we reflect on how truly difficult those early years were.  Those years when we realized how truly selfish we both could be.  We reflect on the line in the sand moments when we had to choose each other over what we really wanted at that moment and the many many mistakes we've made along the way.   We faced a lot of loss and worked through a lot brokenness during those first years especially, and since then we've consistently worked hard to maintain our friendship, to grow and individuals and as couple, and to keep putting one another first even when work and kids and life attempted to drain us of ALL of our energy.  Some day it feels like were doing pretty well, we've found some good rhythms individually and as a couple and we understand each other better than in those early days.  Other days it feels like we're barely keeping our head above water.  We love Jim Gaffigan's comedy routine where he says, "What does it feel like to have 5 kids?  Imagine you're drowning and someone hands you a baby."  Ya we feel like that frequently but then when we catch our breath we always realize what a gift it is to be walking through life together, raising this big family together, sharing all the highs and lows past and present.

January 6, 2007

1st Anniversary

15th Anniversary

January 6, 2022

We're pretty sentimental so we tend to be very reminiscent on these days.  We went to the Olive Garden for dinner, an old favorite, and enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries for dessert while we looked through old photos and shared memories.

I only kept this up for a couple of years but the first 2-3 years I used this journal to write down favorite memories from the year which are fun to look back on.

Brandon surprised me this beautiful necklace.

MAUI

We started talking about this trip over a year ago.  We had wanted to go somewhere on our 10th anniversary but timing with little ones just didn't work out.  So when we realized that the babies were going to be almost 3 for our 15th anniversary we decided we had to do it.  It's always hard to ask for so much help but Brandon had never been to Hawaii, I've only been once, and like I said this felt like an occasion worth celebrating.  Anyway, so we were really really excited and truly grateful for this opportunity.  Managing our chaos for a week is no small undertaking and we do not take fore granted what our many many family members and friends, especially Grammy, did to give us this gift of time away. 

DAY 1

I somehow didn't really process the fact that there was a time change from Oregon to Hawaii.  So our first travel day kinda took us by surprise.  By now I should know to carefully calculate when I'm going to eat because I get a little grumpy when I'm hungry, but once again I missed that little detail.  So by the time we landed, went to Costco, and checked into our condo I was hungry!  In hindsight we would have eaten right away before attempting Costco, before ANYTHING else.  Unfortunately hindsight wasn't available at the time so we pushed through shopping, checked in, and then tried to eat at Dukes.  What we didn't know is that we were also catching the tail end of the spring break crowd which meant restaurants were PACKED!  So after trying 2 places with stupid long wait times we ended up at a place that was very expensive, I ordered a $21 appetizer which I didn't know had raw fish, and I ended the day feeling a little overwhelmed and frustrated that our first moments in Maui had been anything but relaxing.  Funny how that goes.

We loved our place.  It was a little warmer than we expected but after the first couple nights we started leaving the screen doors opened and then it was perfect.

DAY 2

Day 2 was much better.  We ate breakfast at the Gazebo.  It was good and affordable although maybe not worth the 2 hours we waited.  If we did it again I think we'd order take out and eat our breakfast by the water.

Pancakes with coconut syrup

Then we went to the beach, Makuleia Bay, we both got burned which we were bummed about but it felt nice to sit and read and Brandon got out and snorkeled for awhile and saw his first sea turtle which he was super excited about.

For dinner we went to the Monkey Pod for happy hour.  This was recommended to us by our hygienist, Danica, and we loved it.  No wait!  Delicious Mai Tai's, pumpkin ravioli, pizza, and burgers.

DAY 3

Day 3 was the Road to Hana. It was very windy and narrow and long but a beautiful drive.  We especially enjoyed the black sand beach and the rainbow eucalyptus.  We used a navigation guide called the Gypsy Guide which told us Hawaiian history and pointed out all the sights along the way.  We got paia bowls for breakfast which were delicious, we saw a mongoose and a baby pig run across the street, we got completely soaked at the Pools of Ono, and we made it home just in time to make dinner and eat it on our patio at sunset while we watch the whales just off shore.

The pictures just don't do it justice but this has to be one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever experienced.  The sand was so unique and the water had places that were the most beautiful blue even as the sky was dark and the water choppy.

Pools of Ono

This was our last stop before turning back.  It poured on us which was a bummer but it was still a beautiful hike.

Rainbow Eucalyptus

Whale watching from our balcony.  This was one of my favorite things.  We saw them almost every time we sat out and really looked for them.

DAY 4

On day 4 we drove out tot he Maui Swap Meet and bought gifts for the kids.  I got a coffee and Haupia (coconut milk) shaved ice.  Then we went to Honolua Bay which was really rocky and a bit of a hike but we saw lots of chickens as we hiked in.  We snorkeled there for quite awhile, saw some fish and a sea turtle, and then it was home to wash up before dinner.

DAY 5

We slowed down a bit today.  Probably should have done that sooner.  No shopping or touring or really even eating out.  We spent the morning reading and talking about how vacationing and slowing down is really hard for us, stupid as that is.  We so desperately want to slow down but given the opportunity our first impulse is to go, go, go.  Anyway we made breakfast and then headed to the beach for the morning.  We snorkeled and read and then ran to the fish market near our condo.  We got a Hawaiian plate lunch down the street which was good and we had planned to head back to the beach but I was a worried about burning more so we ended up just walked down to our beach for a bit where we saw a turtle from the shore which was fun.  Then we watched T.V. at 6:00 reflecting on how we NEVER watch T.V. before dinner, cooked the fish we bout at the market, and called it a day.

DAY 6

And here we are...our last day already.  It's time to go home for mom and the kids.  We're ready and not.  It felt like a nice long break from our daily responsibilities yet I'm never quite ready.  Wish we could bounce back an forth more often.  This trip made me recognize how set in my routine I am.  It took us a good couple days to adjust.  I know we are how we are for a reason.  7 kids require a rhythm and strong routines but if we're not careful I think we make it an idol, a most important thing we are a slave to rather than a tool.  Funny how we work so hard to teach kids responsibility.  Play and relaxation are natural to them and then at some point we grow up and find we need to learn what was natural way back then.

I've been listening to a podcast during Lent and loved this quote this morning. 

"It's only endless trust in God that can end fear.  Whatever desert you are fearing in the future. the truth is that deserts are places of dependence on God.  Deserts aren't places where God deserts you but places deserted of noise so that you can hear a word from God.  Rest in todays pasture and fret not about tomorrows provision.  He leads us into deserts to increase our appetite for him." ~Ann Voskamp

We slowed down again on our last day.  We spent the morning on the beach in front of our condo where we tried to snorkel but it wasn't nearly as nice as the bay.  We read, enjoyed the sunshine, went in search of shaved ice which was delicious and served atop coconut ice cream.  Then we went back to Molekuia Bay one more time, got rained on, rushed home to change so that we could make happy hour at the Monkeypod, and then got home in time to experience the best sunset of our trip.  It's been cloudy but we got to see the sun dip below the water on our last evening which was beautiful.

DAY 7

Time to head home.  Grateful for our time away and grateful for home and family to return to.  I hope we find ourselves back here again soon or somewhere else equally beautiful.

Lunch on the way to the airport.

A viewpoint on the way to the airport.

At home it was right back to it.  Zoey welcomed us home by getting sick and ruining a rug and 2 dog beds.  Grrrr!  And the kids were excited to see us!  We took the morning to tell them about our trip, give them their souvenirs, and then brought them to school just a little bit late.  They had a blast but I think everyone is also happy to be back together again.