Kauai

I feel like I can brag because stuff like this doesn't usually happen to me so...  We got really lucky in our family when my brother married my now sister-in-law, Auntie Kristen, who asked to watch my kids while Seb and I have a vacation.  Who asks to watch someone else's kids for a week?  I am indebted to her for life.  They don't have any babies yet but I told them I'd watch their first born for four weeks straight and they said "no way."  What's more to me is that my kids came home loving them.  So a big thank you to Auntie Kristen and Uncle Adam.

    

So here is where we stayed, the Marriott at Kalapaki bay.  

The beach is just a couple yards to the left from this picture.  Super nice place, really nice staff and beautiful grounds.

That waterfall that everyone has to visit when on Kauai.

Some mountain river crossing.  I wish I had been filming when Seb plowed through it and soaked us because the top was off on the jeep.  So funny and the old man at the end was laughing with us.

A deep spot we found to swim in (someone pushed me).  I kept having to remind myself that it was January because it was warm. 

Tarzan vines (this picture was for Z who is obsessed with Tarzan)

 NaPali coast.  Super pretty, but the helicopter ride made me sick.  I felt so bad barfing the entire time.   I was so glad nobody noticed and now I pride myself on being a discreet barfer.

Inside the crater of the volcano that formed the island.  On top is the wettest place on the earth.  It wasn't raining that day and all the waterfalls were dry.

On top of the cliffs at Poipu beach.   That beach was tons of fun.  Some guy kept yelling "party wave"  at each wave that rolled in.  I think he was trying to get as many people as possible to try to body surf it.  

Watching all the weddings!  There were 4 wedding while we were there for only a couple hours.   A girl can't ask for better people watching while she lays out.

 Snorkeling till the sun went down on the North shore (tunnels beach).  It took us a couple days to figure out that the northern part of the island is PARADISE.  Then we had to drag ourselves away each night.  This is the beach where soul surfer got her arm taken off by a shark.  I wanted to see her so bad.

Flowers on the side of the road.  And this is the not so pretty side of the island.  Ha! 

The first turtle we saw.  I was pretty excited till a local told me they are everywhere.  Oh well I'm still excited.  This guy was missing one of his flippers.  And he kept trying to scratch the top of his head.  I wanted to help him out but wasn't brave enough.  He was pretty big.  

Some really pretty sea creature.

Secluded beach we hiked to.  That was the prettiest hike I have ever done.  It goes for 11 miles we only did two but someday we are going to do it all.  Around every corner it looked like a movie set, like someone had planted the flowers and just where they should be.    

Overall it was so nice to get away.  Especially in Jan. when it's not snowing here anyway!  I hope I am not getting to spoiled expecting a awesome vacation after Christmas every year but I wouldn't mind it.  We had so much fun listening to Hawaiian reggae, finding good restaurants and eating out every meal, watching whales splash around from the hotel room, off roding in a car that didn't belong to us, driving home wet every night, swimming in the pool till we were pruned, sleeping in till 8 (11 our time), finding cool new spots, wondering why we don't live in Kauai, and dreaming of taking our kids here someday.