This Is Not A Dream (Finale)

The girls loved the art.

Totally winding down now to the end of my story.  Thanks for sticking with me.  I promise to talk about something else next time.  It's just that I had to get this down.  These are memories I never want to forget.  They are too good.  Would you be surprised that there is actually a lot I didn't tell you?  No?  Well, it's true.  Ask Dale, Erin and The Hubbs. (smiiiile)

It really did take The Hubbs and I too long to talk ourselves into a trip like this.  It was never "the time"...the kids are too young, can't get away from work, and of course we can't afford it. But a great opportunity came our way and it would not have made any sense to say "no".  I recommend when opportunity comes--TAKE IT. 

Being knee deep in parenthood made a trip like this hard to justify as well. It took me a while to work up myself to being away from my kids in general, and the idea of both The Hubbs and I being away from the kids at the same time, was a difficult place to reach. My world, like yours, revolves around them little life suckers, but something finally clicked and we (--> I <--) came to the place in our familial life that we could leave our girls (for 10 days).  They will be okay (with their auntie and their grandma).  They can bathe themselves.  They can get to sleep at night without me.

It's not like my girls aren't used to traveling...we take them everywhere.  We have loads of family time all day, every day.  We do stuff.  I'm pretty sure they are sick of us anyway. It was great to leave them at home.  Erin and Dale make a point to go on vacation with their kids one year and the next without them.  They've done it for years.  That's probably why they call each other "Big Daddy" and "Princess" all in love-like--and mean it.  They should write a book.

And The Hubbs and I needed to make eye contact. This year we have for sure spent way more time apart than together. Way. more.  It was nice to be able to talk longer than it takes to give a child a bath, or make dinner.  It was good to make contact outside cell phone lines and Facebook walls. He's a busy guy.  It was good to see his face. 

Last Night in Kauai.

Kauai Wrap Up

Our last days in Kauai were spent relaxing by the pool or on the beach. Down time. Our last "adventure" was a very low-key water tube tour through an old sugar cane plantation. This plantation is known as "The Wettest Place on Earth" (I totally thought Oregon was). It was lush and beautiful and they had "Oops" trees.  You'll have to go on the tour to find out about that one. We got to ride tubes down old sugar can irrigation ditches. It may not sound great, but it pretty much was. The highlight was going through four tunnels. The longest tunnel was just under a mile long. We wore helmets with lights and gloves to protect our heads from, and push off the rocks on either side of the canals. It reminded me of The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, without the pirates. When we were in the tunnels, the guides would have us turn off our lights at points, making it quite the experience riding through the pitch black darkness, not knowing where you were going or how long it was going to take. I didn't know I wanted to do that.  It pleasantly surprised me.


We spent our last night out, listening to a Hawaiian band, eating a delicious assortment of Pu Pu platters (appetizers), and meeting very enthusiastic people (Do you watch LOOOOOOST?!) that we'd see at the pool the next day, share our brats with and give our leftover condiments, cheese, cooler and swimming noodles to. It was hard not being envious that they were just beginning their vacation, knowing what was in store for them. I guess it would make sense that we were so not ready to go home.

Oh!  One more thing--I recommend taking a trip with friends. The Fun Friends. The friends that you can spend ten days in and out with, face life and death experiences in ferocious riptides, eat a lot of shave ice and fish tacos, drink a lot of fruity drinks by the pool, listen to countless Bob Marley songs (or the same one over and over) with and still love to pieces (Bueeenos Diiiias!!!). I would do it again tomorrow, and not just because it's Hawaii. It's a good thing too, because they live three doors down.


Darn it that good things must come to an end and don't they every single time? So until the next good thing, Aloha!

Chickens