This time we did it right! We're back!

[kindakrazy2]

I've heard the seven pools are amazing. on our list for next time too!

 

[mvazul]

Welcome back! It looks and sounds like you had a fabulous time. What a way to spend your birthday. I would love to get to Hawaii some day before I die!

Absolutely beautiful pictures!!

 

[apirateslife4evr]

Swans,

Your pics from Maui are so great......we got married on Maui 4 years ago, and you visited alot of the same places we did when we were there.

Thanks for sharin' !!!!!

 

[pierresgirl]

Also, here's a pic of my mutts because they are the cutest too!

The puppies really are adorable!

The UPS man just delivered my Cotton Candy Cayman Crocs (how's that for alliteration?!?)

I have to say they are quite the eyesores in size 10! Why are my feet so dang big?!?

As far as comfort...so far, so good!

Cool Crocs, I love them in that color.

What I'm worried about is that when it comes down to it, Beth will not want to leave baby Blaize for 6 days. In which case Blaize could just come with Beth and Jason. HOWEVER, there are already going to be 4 adults in our AKL room. I don't think that we would all fit when we add a baby! So I've contemplated reserving another room just in case. But that would make the trip much pricier than we had originally planned. In reality, that's a small price to pay for security of mom and baby.

2 days ago, I talked to Beth and we were talking about the Disney trip. I asked her what she was thinking about leaving Blaize. She said she's still planning on it, but she and Jason thought about maybe asking his mom to come meet us there and stay with Blaize. Essentially to be a nanny for the week. I told Beth that I thought that was the best idea ever. (side note: Beth's mother in law lives in AZ and Beth and Jason and Blaize live in Wisconsin, so grandma doesn't get to see baby very much at all!) Beth said she would talk it over with Jason.

Today, I talked to Beth. Jason's mom has already bought her plane ticket and she has a room reserved at the AKL for October 26-31. She is excited, thrilled, overjoyed. Beth said that this is the best thing they could have ever done for her MIL. This is MIL's dream come true...to have that baby (mostly) to herself for 5 days!

That's great that Beth's MIL is going! I don't think I could leave a baby so soon after being born. It'll be easier for her to feed as well.

I lived in Hawaii (on Oahu) when I was in my early 20's and had a blast. Your pics are gorgeous and brought back alot of memories, I'm glad you had a good time there!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

I've heard the seven pools are amazing. on our list for next time too!

I'm bummed we didn't make it there. When we were turning back in the mini van, I had to play a mental game with myself and tell myself "they're probably not that great anyway." Yeah right!!!

Welcome back! It looks and sounds like you had a fabulous time. What a way to spend your birthday. I would love to get to Hawaii some day before I die!

Absolutely beautiful pictures!!

It was a perfect way to spend my birthday. It was a great trip. So hard to go back to work today, though! I felt so disoriented! I now think everyone needs to go to Hawaii at least once. (on the list after Disney World, of course!)

Swans,

Your pics from Maui are so great......we got married on Maui 4 years ago, and you visited alot of the same places we did when we were there.

Thanks for sharin' !!!!!

That's so cool that you got married on Maui! I'm jealous! Where did you get married and where did you stay?

When we were there, I kept thinking we should have had our wedding there. We got married at Yosemite National Park. Not quite as tropical!

The puppies really are adorable!



Cool Crocs, I love them in that color.


That's great that Beth's MIL is going! I don't think I could leave a baby so soon after being born. It'll be easier for her to feed as well.

I lived in Hawaii (on Oahu) when I was in my early 20's and had a blast. Your pics are gorgeous and brought back alot of memories, I'm glad you had a good time there!

I can't believe how little the puppy looks in that pic! He's so much bigger now!

I am still deciding if I will wear the crocs or not. I am worried that they are going to hurt!

That is so rad that you lived on Oahu! That must have been an amazing experience.

 

[punkin413]

i'm finally caught up!!!!

I can not believe I forgot to say that Beth had her baby boy yesterday, July 18!

that's my birthday! that means he's gonna be supercool.

Well, I'll tell you...My birthday is Friday! That means that our first full day in Hawaii is my birthday! I LOVE birthdays. Mine and everyone else's.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

your pics of hawaii are breathtaking......i'm so jealous.

and i LOVE the idea of the clue character costumes!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

This was Tuesday, the day we went to Oahu.

We flew out of the Maui airport at about 10:30 in the morning. The grandparents opted out of this trip.

We went immediately to Pearl Harbor when we got there. The memorial was very moving. It's hard to put words to it.
You can see the memorial in the distance. This was before we took the boat over to it.

The only bad part of the USS Arizona memorial was the other tourists. They were laughing and talking so loudly and taking tons of pics when we were on the actual memorial. I thought they were being a bit disrespectful and it took away from the seriousness of the memorial.

After Pearl Harbor, we took a cab over to Waikiki Beach. It was very pretty...such blue water. And tons of surfers.

We had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise. YUM!!!

We looked around in the shops some and watched some surfing.

Then we went to the airport and flew back to Maui.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

This was Wednesday...this day started SO SO early for DH and me. We woke up at 1:15 a.m. to drive to a bike shop.

Then we boarded a van with 7 other people and were driven up to the top of a volcano with bikes on top of the van. We watched the sunrise from above the clouds. Gorgeous.

A pic of DH

This is us on the bikes. I didn't realize I looked like a total dork because I didn't have my helmet on correctly! Thanks, DH!!!

Then we rode the bikes all the way down the mountain/volcano and back to the bike shop. It was a little bit (okay, a lot) scary. The street was narrow and winding and there were cars going both directions. There were parts where there was no shoulder. As scary as it was, we had a breathtaking view of the island and the ocean from up here.

On the way down, we stopped at a wonderful restaurant for breakfast. I had macadamia pancakes. Delicious!!!!

This sign was in the restaurant window

We then continued on our journey down the mountain.

This is a must-do for anyone going to Maui who likes to ride bikes.

Upon returning to our resort, we couldn't resist the draw of the ocean. We found the rest of the group on the beach. DH's grandfather (79 years old!) had rented a boogie board for the day. We did that with him for quite a while and rode some great waves. Then it was time for a nap!

After the nap, we got ready for a sunset dinner cruise on the Maui Princess.

It sounds beautiful and romantic, but it was none of the above. The sunset was blah that day, the food was gross (DH found hair in his salad and in the butter they gave for the bread), and the boat was rocking like crazy!

But I guess a dinner cruise in Maui is better than grilled cheese at my house anyday!

A view from the cruise

We were so tired after the dinner cruise! We crashed hard when we got home!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

This was Thursday...our last full day and we had nothing planned!

I tried to book a surfing lesson, but there were no openings. Sad.

We went shopping and hung out on the beach some.

Oh, we took a shuttle over to the shops and beach...the driver was about 100 years old and he could hardly see over the steering wheel.

Does anyone know what kind of skeleton this is?

It's a

After relaxing all day, we headed out for dinner at Longhi's. This was the best meal of the trip. DH got Lamb Chops with raspberry mint sauce. I had pesto penne pasta. We had sauteed asparagus as a side. And some Chardonnay. So so so good.

Maui Day 9

This was our last day.

DMIL and DSIL had an early flight. DH and I had an 8:30 p.m. flight. We went to the beach all day. After swimming at the beach, we headed to the Sheraton pool.

And we were BUSTED!!!! A lady came up to us and said she needed to give us bracelets and could she please have our room number. She had a whole list on a clipboard with everyone's names and room numbers. I couldn't make anything up. So I admitted that we weren't staying there and the lady kindly asked us to leave. Bummer!!! Oh well, we got to swim there twice.

So then we returned to our own pool and swam for a while before getting ready to leave for the airport.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

We got home at about 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Beth and Jason were here with their baby boy!

I spent the day with them and it was great. He's such a cute baby.

We talked about Disney World all day long. It was awesome.

Sunday, I hung out with them all day again. They flew out at 6 p.m. Sunday.

I guess that's what I consider the end of my vacation.

In the end, we had an INCREDIBLE vacation. I had never spent that much time with my sister in law. I got to know her so much better. And we got to spend a lot of quality time with DH's mom and grandparents, who are all wonderful people.

It's good to know that we travel well with DMIL and DSIL because we're planning a trip to Greece with them in June 2008!

I absolutely think that Hawaii is a must-do for everyone.

Thanks for letting me share!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Here are some pics of our drive...

I see a hidden Mickey on that rock! Thanks for the mini trippie! What a perfectly beautiful place! It is definitely a must do for me. I can't believe you went rock jumping and pool hopping You are really brave! And you got to come home to a beautiful baby boy! How Fun! I'm glad Beth is bringing him along to WDW - she won't have fun if she leaves him behind.

 

[luvfigment]

I am all up to date...looks like you had a wonderful time in Hawaii! Pool Hopping huh? Where did you learn about that??? I love all of the sunset pictures and the fact that your DH's DGF wnt boogie boarding...that is awesome.

You friends baby is too cute and what a better way to end your vacation but by talking about your upcoming vacation to Disney World.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

i'm finally caught up!!!!



that's my birthday! that means he's gonna be supercool.



HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

your pics of hawaii are breathtaking......i'm so jealous.

and i LOVE the idea of the clue character costumes!

Happy very belated birthday! I knew there had to be a reason they chose to be induced that day!

So far for Mrs. White, I have the shirt and skirt. I am having a hard time finding an apron. I think I'm going to buy black orthopedic looking shoes from KMart. I also need to find a maid-ish hat.

Beth and Jason said they might dress up the baby as one of the weapons for pictures before we head to MNSSHP. I think that would be hilarious. But how do you explain to a kid why they were dressed as a lead pipe for their first Halloween?!?

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Here are some pics of our drive...

I see a hidden Mickey on that rock! Thanks for the mini trippie! What a perfectly beautiful place! It is definitely a must do for me. I can't believe you went rock jumping and pool hopping You are really brave! And you got to come home to a beautiful baby boy! How Fun! I'm glad Beth is bringing him along to WDW - she won't have fun if she leaves him behind.

I never saw the hidden Mickey! You have good eyes!!!! How cool!

After meeting the baby, I'm even more excited that he's coming to WDW.

I am all up to date...looks like you had a wonderful time in Hawaii! Pool Hopping huh? Where did you learn about that??? I love all of the sunset pictures and the fact that your DH's DGF wnt boogie boarding...that is awesome.

You friends baby is too cute and what a better way to end your vacation but by talking about your upcoming vacation to Disney World.

Don't worry...I won't be doing any pool hopping in WDW!

I can't remember if I said this or not, but DH's grandfather was very disappointed when he read that you had to be 75 yrs or under and not have hypertension to take a surfing lesson. He really wanted to try surfing. I think we were all a little relieved that he didn't do it!

I love when my BFF is around because we both adore talking about Disney world and we can talk as much as we please!

 

[MeMom]

How much better can life get for you right now?!?! A fabulous trip to Hawaii, this beautiful new little baby to watch grow up, a trip to Greece in the works, and talking about Disney all day long...you must be living right!

I think it's cool that you got to see Pearl Harbor. I teach this event to my class every December, and each time I show the pictures of the memorial, I tell the kids how very much I want to see it in person someday.

 

[pierresgirl]

We got home at about 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Beth and Jason were here with their baby boy!

It's good to know that we travel well with DMIL and DSIL because we're planning a trip to Greece with them in June 2008!

I absolutely think that Hawaii is a must-do for everyone.

Thanks for letting me share!

What a cute baby! One of the places I lived was on the little island right behind the Arizona memorial. My stepfather was a Navy capt. and they had a row of houses there for capt.'s and the admiral. It was pretty cool to be able to go out on the dock and see it we also had several private tours of A.M. When I lived in England I went to Greece twice and it's my ABSOLUTE favorite all time place in the whole world (besides Disney, of course!)

 

[heath-and-javens-mom]

HI! Im a little late but Im here!!!!! I love all your pics of Maui--It looks beautiful! You guys all look like such a fun bunch of people
Im late.... but Tell Beth congrats on that handsom baby blaize!!! hes adorable!
Looking forward to reading more of your PTR!!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

How much better can life get for you right now?!?! A fabulous trip to Hawaii, this beautiful new little baby to watch grow up, a trip to Greece in the works, and talking about Disney all day long...you must be living right!

I think it's cool that you got to see Pearl Harbor. I teach this event to my class every December, and each time I show the pictures of the memorial, I tell the kids how very much I want to see it in person someday.

I was thinking the whole time we were at Pearl Harbor that it must be a history buff's dream! You must go see it!

I agree, I am a very lucky girl. There are so many wonderful things going on in my life right now!

What a cute baby! One of the places I lived was on the little island right behind the Arizona memorial. My stepfather was a Navy capt. and they had a row of houses there for capt.'s and the admiral. It was pretty cool to be able to go out on the dock and see it we also had several private tours of A.M. When I lived in England I went to Greece twice and it's my ABSOLUTE favorite all time place in the whole world (besides Disney, of course!)

Oh, I can't wait for Greece! It looks stunning in pictures. I'm glad to hear that it's your favorite. It sounds like you've been to lots of places, so you're a good source! DH and I went to Capri and the Amalfi Coast in Italy for our honeymoon and if Greece is anything like that, I'm sure I will LOVE it!

I would have loved a private tour of the memorial!

HI! Im a little late but Im here!!!!! I love all your pics of Maui--It looks beautiful! You guys all look like such a fun bunch of people
Im late.... but Tell Beth congrats on that handsom baby blaize!!! hes adorable!
Looking forward to reading more of your PTR!!

Thanks for reading! I'll tell Beth congrats...I agree...he's adorable!

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

I just looked at my countdown of days on TGM and I'm down to 49!!!!!!!!

Where did the time go?!? I need to get started on my countdown calendar!

There's so much to do between now and Disney World. Next weekend, I have a continuing education class to take (on pediatric physical therapy). Our 2 year wedding anniversary is the 17th of September. (We got married in a national park and went to a national park (Rocky Mountain National Park) for last year's anniversary. We don't have time to go to one this year, so we're counting Haleakala National Park in Maui as our national park for this anniversary. Don't want to break tradition already!)

The following weekend, I am flying home (Chicago) to throw a surprise bridal shower for my brother's fiancee. I can't wait for that!!! I miss my family and home friends so much!

The first week of October, my mom will be out here visiting for a whole week!

Then one of my dearest friends will be out here for a long weekend in October. We're doing a spa day and doing some hiking and having a girls' weekend. This will be her first trip since having her daughter one year ago. She's leaving her daughter home with her husband (who happens to be my cousin) and I think she's pretty nervous about it!

So much to do! It's a darn good thing I got started planning this trip 8 months ago.

I can't believe I'm down to 49 days!

 

[kindakrazy2]

Thanks for the rest of the Hawaii pics!

I think its funny that you got busted at the pool!

When we were in Hawaii we did some hopping too! Shhhhh....don't tell anyone!

I kept waiting to get busted but we never did.