Kauai...can I go back yet?

It's difficult to express our Hawaii trip in a blog post, but I'll do my best to hit some of the high points of our vacation. I'll start by saying that our trip to Kauai was my favorite vacation to date. It really couldn't have gone better. The weather was great. It was relaxing, and everything fell into place. Travis and I had a great time together, and we were surrounded by the most gorgeous setting I have ever experienced. I'm not sure I've ever felt so strongly about a vacation destination before, but I must say, I don't think it can get any better than Kauai. It's such a unique place. Kauai has gorgeous mountains, canyons, lush green forests, gorgeous beaches and beautiful rivers. You look one direction and you see desert and then turn your head to see the most lush and greenest fields you've ever laid eyes upon. It's just incredible. Mountains to one side and white sandy beaches to the other. I know you think I'm probably exaggerating or getting some sort of a kickback from a tourism association or something, but I really did love it that much.

We stayed in a small condo owned by a couple from Indiana, and it turned out to be the perfect place. We were able to save some serious cash by cooking almost all of our own meals and packing lunches. It was especially fun to finally grill some enormous steaks, too. Staying in a condo was so convenient and far less of a hassle than staying in a hotel. We didn't have to worry about someone cleaning our room everyday, and we had so much more room. It was really great to have a fully supplied kitchen, and we didn't have to constantly think about where we would go for our next meal. I would highly recommend going that route if you want to stick to a budget.

Travis and I enjoyed several different transportation methods on our trip. We traveled by plane (obviously), sailboat, teeny tiny plane, Harley and Chevy Cobalt. Quite a variety, huh?

This is a picture of us with our friendly pilot. We toured the entire island of Kauai by air, and it was breathtaking. I was a little nervous at first, but once we were in the air, I relaxed and had a great time. I think it's worth noting how cute Travis looks in this picture, too. :)

This is a shot of the Napali Coast taken from the airplane. We later were able to see it from a sailboat, too.

One day we rented a Harley to tour the northern part of the island. I'm sure you can imagine whose idea that was. ;) I was pretty terrified for the first hour and did nothing but pray, but after that I relaxed a bit and even had fun. We rode the bike for almost the entire day but had to cut it a little short because of rain. Of course we didn't have any rain gear so we just tried to pretend it wasn't raining. By the way, if you're in a car and you see someone riding a motorcycle in the rain, it's not polite to point and laugh.

One afternoon, we took a sunset cruise down the Napali Coast. We had a wonderful time despite my very poor wardrobe choice. I'm not sure why I thought a short sundress made of lightweight fabric would be a good choice for a cruise along the water. Let's just say our fellow passengers almost got a different kind of whale show. Speaking of whales, though. We saw soo many! It was just amazing. We were close enough to hear them "talking," and we could hear their blowholes. It was just the coolest. They were popping up out of the water all over the place and pulling out their fins to slap the water. It almost looked like they were trying to high five each other. I was too emotional to take any pictures. I refused to take my eyes away from the water so you'll just have to imagine it. It was a dream come true for me.

We also did a lot of hiking during our trip. We didn't tackle any major hikes, but it was a great way to get some exercise and to experience Hawaii. Plus, I was super excited that there are no snakes in Hawaii! It really is heaven on earth.

We spent our last day in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. We flew into Honolulu and met up with one of my friends from high school and his wife. He was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and to drop us back off. We found out the night before that the airport was sold out of rental cars, and if we were able to track one down, it was going to cost $170 for one day! Yikes!

Our first stop in Honolulu was Diamond Head. We climbed to the top of it and enjoyed a great view of Honolulu. There was an impressive mix of cultures there, too. We saw people from all over the world. And, in some cultures, it's apparently okay to take your shirt off when you're hot even if you're only wearing a lacy bra underneath.

We went to Pearl Harbor and climbed around on the U.S.S. Missouri. Since Remington (my high school friend) and his wife, Olga, are both in the Army we were also able to go on a couple of the bases there. It was so interesting, and I think I must have driven them crazy with all of my questions.

To end our vacation, we headed to Waikiki for dinner. We ate at a place called Tiki's. I had some crab and goat cheese macaroni and cheese, and it was scrumptious.

Overall, I'd have to say our trip to Kauai was a perfect vacation. In fact, I think I'm now suffering from some sort of post-Hawaii depression, and I'm worried that the only cure might be more Hawaii!

* I forgot to mention that we celebrated 11 years together on our trip. Isn't that just crazy?