Mahalo!

We are back from a fantastic trip to our 50th state, Hawaii. Dave and I hiked, kayaked, helicoptered, drove, ate, and indulged in "general relaxation" around Kauai with my sister and her man. Kauai is Hawaii's Garden Isle, which loosely translates to Cloudy Isle. I gotta say, we were forewarned. Some friends who are familiar with the islands noted that the weather might be iffy this time of year. Regardless, we did just fine on our tropical vacay.

I'd say the highlight of our trip was an afternoon of wine drinkin' and grasshopper pie eatin' in Hanalei. Once we'd gotten our sugar fix, we walked down the road to Hanalei Bay, where Dave and Jeff hoped to catch some big boogie boardin' waves. Dave had a great idea to wear flippers so he could swim out against the surf. Jeff agreed. Watching them cruise the beach in flippers was priceless; Ashley and I died laughing from ashore. Then we realized we were being lame and decided to brave the water. Not as warm as we hoped but still nicer than Puget Sound on its very best day.

The lowlight of the trip was Dave's food poisoning, which he got from our first Hawaiian dinner. After five hours of being violently ill (and sleeping intermittently on the bathroom floor), we decided to hit up the ER. We went to one of the island's two hospitals. The doctor obviously rolled out of bed to treat Dave, the lone patient, and I wouldn't be surprised if he went surfing after he hooked up the IV (Dr. Feelgood rocked some Nike high tops and was no older than 30). Dave recovered in 24 hours but it was an odd intro to our long-awaited vacation.

All in all we had a fabulous time. It's always nice to get away from email, public transportation, the daily routine and to experience a new place. Before our trip, I  felt that a pre-wedding vacation was indulgent. My travel buddies convinced me I was being a silly nanny, and that we should go anyways. I'm happy I succumbed. Money spent on travel is money well spent.