Beach bravery:)

The beach is generally not my favorite thing to do. I really don't like sand stuck to me or the messiness of it all. I can be a worrier with my girls around the ocean. It scares me a bit! But I do love to watch and listen to the waves, so that's worth the discomfort.

We found the most beautiful beach...DT Fleming. It was like a little bit of paradise.

We came a couple of different days. It was OUR beach. The kids staked their claim. It was just beautiful. There was kind of a jungle like lookout that had a beautiful view and that's where we ate our lunch.





It just seemed very Hawaiian to me. Here's the guard shack complete with rescue vehicles and lifeguards. I get impressed so easily:)



It was also pretty private. It was kind of enclosed a little with a rocky enclave on one side and a cliff on another. Not many people were there, so it felt nice.

Building sand castles with daddy.

The waves and current were really really strong. They had caution signs posted. It was also pretty windy the days we hit this beach, so the wind would pick up the fine sand and pelt us...ouch. Even though it wasn't perfect...it was so much fun. Not going to let a little painful sand bring down my Hawaiian high:)



My girls were really good about not going out too deep and taking care of each other. They always held hands. It was a relief to not worry about them.

Look at this action shot. Could they be having any more fun??

As I was watching Honey with the girls I kept thinking this is so similar to how God protects us. Our human nature is to push the envelope, to want to try dangerous things or see how far we can go sometimes. And He's there to hold our hand...protect us and pull us back when it gets too deep or the "current" gets too strong. It really moved me to think of my heavenly Father's love and how much watching over us He does. I think He was trying to teach me some things.

Me and my babe. Isn't he a cutie??

Okay I have a little confession. I have never in all my life worn a bikini. Not even as a child. I've always been really modest and well chicken... I guess. But after months of working out and eating clean I thought I should try being a little BRAVE and get it over with. So...

HERE I AM!

Oh my gosh I can't believe I am putting this on the Internet. I've lost my mind!!!!

We found these really cool rocks to one side of the beach and set off to explore. It was just beautiful. The roar of the waves crashing on the rocks and the beauty of them glistening in the sun. I could have sat there all day just thanking the Lord for His creation and reflecting on all He has blessed me with. That's what the ocean does for me...it makes me grateful!

When our play was over the work began...de-sanding. Oh the mess of it all. None of us like being sandy. I think as the week went by I began getting used to it. It's a matter of letting go and not caring and that's a gift Hawaii teaches you. To relax, unwind and hang loose:)

Can I go back please?? I'd take a little sand right now!






Have a blessed day.

Our first glimpse

We were all just a little excited for our trip:) The chicks and I had been mentally packing our suitcases for months and well...it was just a really big deal for us. Honey couldn't really get excited until the night before. I guess that's what happens when you work. It keeps you from looking too far into the future.





Needless to say the flight felt like it took forever. This was my traveling companion. My little chick talked my ear off for 10 hours:)





When I first saw it... I cried. It's been a dream of mine since I was little to go there someday. I turned around and looked at Honey and he said, "Don't you do it!" He could see the flood gates opening.

How could you not cry looking at God's beautiful masterpiece?? It was just breathtaking...surreal!

This was our treat in the parking lot of the rental car place. Our first peek into what a special place Maui really is. These precious little chicks and their momma hen trying to make their way through a busy parking lot. We were holding our breath for them.

Unfortunately my Big Chick didn't fare so well on the descent down and got motion sick. Poor baby! It stuck with her for several hours. I felt really bad for her. She had been looking so forward to this moment for months. Good thing is the next morning she was good as new:)

Even with my baby not feeling good, I was on cloud nine! We were finally here!!!! It was really happening.

This is the lobby of our hotel. We stayed in Lahaina at the Aina Nalu. It was a perfect fit for us because it had a bedroom with a pull-out couch and a kitchen.

While we were registering, Big Chick ran up and said she was going to be sick. She took off and vomited in a grassy area right by the building. Then Little Chick came up to me a few seconds later with a beautiful rock and asked if she could have it. I just smiled at the guy registering us. Yes... the Strahle Family has arrived! We've already made our mark:)

The beautiful mountain view.

The next morning...we were all feeling good. Ready to set out and explore:)

Have a blessed day.

Oh and for the give-away. I thought food would be a great choice. I fell in love with the food in Hawaii. Who knew I loved macadamia nuts, coconut and kalua pork?? Seriously if I could have brought it all back with me I would have!

We picked this up in Keanae on the Road to Hana. Can't wait to tell you all about that day. This banana bread is FAMOUS!

A little sugar is nice. Those Maui cookies were my downfall. I seriously LOVE them!!!

And finally a beautiful calendar!

The give-away winner is...

LeeAnn from Encouragement is Contagious!

Congrats LeeAnn:)

Aloha!

Aloha friends!!! I missed you...sorta:) HA! We just got back in yesterday and through a haze of jet lag I am determined to start sharing Hawaii with you. Can I just say for those of you who haven't made it there yet, you HAVE to go. It was without a doubt the best vacation EVER. I am forever smitten with the place:)







I thought I'd start with our last day first. Just so you could see how long our last day was:) I had a grand idea to get up on the last day and go to the famous Haleakala sunrise. Haleakala is known as the world's largest dormant volcano. They said though it is very likely it will erupt again in our lifetime!

We had to get up at 3:00 a.m. to make the 2 hour trek to the mountain. What seemed like a good idea for getting reacclimated to the time difference...didn't seem so great at 3 in the morning:) It was pitch dark and really cold.





Okay here's the worst picture I think I've ever taken! Now you've officially seen it...the really ugly me...the 3 o'clock in the morning...no make-up, face not even washed ME! Thought I'd get it out of the way. They improve greatly earlier in the week:)

The drive up the mountain about did us all in. It was horrendous. It was dark. The road was so curvy...we all got a little car sick. Mid-way we stopped and took Dramamine. Great idea, but just a little late:) And oh I forgot, my Honey is scared to death of heights. So imagine hair pin turns on the edge of huge drop offs in the pitch dark. SO MUCH FUN!!!

Oh here are some smiles:)

Not so much here! When we were almost all the way to the top Honey became literally paralyzed with fear...poor thing! I have never seen him freak out so bad. He cried. I knew he hated heights, but this was bad. So I told him to pull over and took charge. He was really undone. I told him to pull it together and then we switched places and I drove the rest of the way. He'd have to the same for me if we went snorkeling or scuba diving:)

This was the treat for us when we finally made it to the summit. The most beautiful shades of pink and orange.

The floor of Haleakala measures a colossal 7.5 miles wide, 2.5 miles long and 3000 ft deep. This made for a beautiful sunrise.

All these crazy people thought so too! Apparently this has become one of the must see things to do in Maui.

Here it comes.

I read somewhere that watching this sunrise is a powerful spiritual experience. Not sure if it was the exhaustion or what, but it didn't do that for me. It was really really pretty though.

Glad the girls were able to see it. It was breathtaking, especially as it started getting light. You could see the surface of the valley floor and it was almost like looking at the moon. Very strange and otherworldly.

Strange being above the clouds. We passed a sign coming up that said to turn on your headlights as you pass through the clouds. That completely freaked Honey out. Luckily we didn't drive through any clouds...but we did see them beneath us when we got to the top.

I drove on the way down. It was so much better to go down in the daylight. I think the darkness made it much worse. We got to see some really beautiful Maui countryside coming home.

If you look close you can see the ocean. That's how high up we were. I think our final elevation was 10,000 feet.

I was so doped up on Dramamine that I literally had to keep smacking my face not to fall asleep on the drive home. My eyes were soooo heavy. We got back to our room and took a quick little nap before setting off on the journey back to Minnesota. This all happened Sunday morning. We finally crawled into our beds and a blissful sleep on Monday afternoon...approximately 30 some hours later. Talk about exhausted! But oh so worth it.

I hope you want to hear more because I took over 1,000 pictures:) I have lots to share, so get ready to go to Maui!!! Now I have to go conquer my own mountain of laundry, emails and a dirty house. Welcome back to reality:) Oh and a big Mahalo to my guest bloggers and all of you who came by to "visit" them. I'll announce the give-away winner on my next post.

Have a blessed day.