We're baaacckkk

In Maui that is! Randy is on his official vacation block (4 weeks, once a year, taken as a "lump sum") here we are in beautiful Maui. It is our 4th trip to the island and it feels like home away from home.

We were fortunate to get a direct flight from Oakland to Kahului; we arrived yesterday afternoon at about 2:30pm. After collecting our baggage and a rental car we headed to our "pit stop" - the little town of Makawao in the Maui upcountry. We previously decided to spend a couple of nights in Hana, but didn't want to make the precarious drive immediately upon arrival, so we planned to stay somewhere close to Hana Highway then make the drive in the morning.

I found a charming B&B in Makawao called the Banyan Tree House, high up in the hills and set in a garden-like setting. We stayed in the Gardenia Cottage which is a large, spacious suite complete with 2 queen beds, a kitchenette and lanai. With all the foliage and provincial feel to Makawao, it reminded me very much of the Philippines. There are lots of fruit trees on the grounds and guests are encouraged to pick and take as much as they like. Unfortunately it showered almost the whole evening, but as a result we were rewarded with a beautiful arching rainbow right over our heads.

This morning we packed up early and had breakfast at a great little coffee shop in the neighboring town of Paia, Anthony's. They have an awesome assortment of coffee and tea varieties, plus hot breakfast and pastries. Randy's first Maui breakfast was - of course - loco moco! Once our bellies were filled and our coffee in to-go cups, we hit the windy road to take us to Hana. After an hour and a half we pulled up to the lovely Hotel Hana Maui.

Ordinarily we wouldn't be able to afford a hotel of this caliber (AAA - 4 diamonds), but perhaps because we are here in the off season we scored an awesome deal and decided to treat ourselves. The service has been impeccable from our first few minutes on the property. As we waited in the lobby for an available registration receptionist, the bellhop appears with ice cold glasses of POG juice (passionfruit, orange, guava), cold towels to freshen up and complimentary kukui nut necklaces. Once we check in, Eddie the friendly bellhop, loads our luggage onto his golf cart and proceeds to take us on a complete tour of the grounds. Finally he escorts us to our room which is amazing! It's a large, airy suite with a separate bedroom, living room, bathroom and lanai. I have no idea whether we were upgraded because the hotel is not at maximum occupancy, but the room is not what I thought I booked!

Randy, Cruz and I spent the next couple of hours swimming and lounging in the infinity pool which overlooks the Pacific Ocean...I could not be more grateful for the countless blessings the Lord gives to us. We have only been on the island for one full day, but I can feel myself beginning to switch gears, to a slower, more relaxed pace. I feel myself taking longer looks at my surroundings, taking in deeper breaths and having no idea what time of day it is. I'm looking forward to the week ahead!

First pony ride

August was here and gone so quickly that I'm behind in posting - in any case, mid-August we joined Hilarie's Helpful Hints (a mom's group that I'm a member of ) at Play Cafe in Oakland. It's another fun indoor play space for kids. On this day there was a special event being featured - pony rides and a petting zoo, so we knew we couldn't miss it.

This was Cruz's very first time riding a pony and he was pretty stoic the whole time. As we waited our turn in line he started to get cold feet and said he didn't want to ride, but when our turn came I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride and he nodded his head, silently yes. His pony's name was Pixie and it was a short round trip ride the length of the parking lot, and Cruz looked concerned the whole time! Part way through I asked him if he was having fun, and he said "yeah" but still had a furrowed brow. He never once cracked a smile.

Now looking back, I'll have to tell Cruz that his very first pony ride was in a parking lot in Oakland...not exactly the great outdoors!