MAUI!

We celebrated our 10 year anniversary! 10 years is a loooong time and we had always talked about wanting to go on a warm (longish) holiday as our 10 year gift to each other. We talked about going to Mexico but Michael REALLY wanted to go to Maui, Hawaii. So we decided February/March might be the best weather and we decided to do that instead. It's incredibly stressful trying to find childcare for little kids, but if we know anything from our weekend getaways in the past it's that time away together and without kids is so important! And Hawaii didn't seem like too bad of a place to do it. haha. We planned and arranged all kinds of family and friends to help us by watching our kids - we were SO grateful.

 So thankful to Cass and Glenn for offering transportation to the airport. :) They took us super early in the morning for us to catch our 7am direct flight! We were SO excited.

 Our first stop was THE OCEAN. I was on a major high of feeling like I couldn't believe where I was! It was incredibly beautiful and SO different than where we just came from - the longest winter in Canada.

 Next we headed to Iao Park and the green almost hurt my eyes. I hadn't seen so much color in so long.

 This guy is so fun to vacation with. So easy going!

We headed up to the top of Haleakala Crater to watch the Sunrise the first morning. We left around 4am for the 1.5hr drive and at the top it was so foggy we couldn't see the sunrise, a view, or anything really. It was also quite rainy. It's suppose to be an incredible view, but not when it's foggy, haha. So we headed back to our B&B and slept for a few hours. Kind of a waste of time, but how could we have known? haha

 Fresh coconut....? Ummm YES! We pulled over and paid $8 for this precious coconut. The milk was amazing and the meat was heavennnnnn!

 Our first stay was at a Bed & Breakfast in Kihei. We decided there because of all the amazing beaches. We visited and swam at 11 different beaches in the 9 days we were in Maui!! And they were all different in small ways... big beach, bigger waves, small waves...

 I couldn't get over the greenery with the black rock and the pale sand.

 Yuck. Michael chewed those seeds and it was like chewing peppercorns, haha.

 We drove the Road to Hana. Found a bamboo forest.

 So humid and hot.. but we liked it!

Black Sand Beach- The most amazing thing I have ever seen. It was a windy day so the waves were pretty big, smashing into the black rock. We watched it for so long. The ocean is an amazing thing. LOOK AT THAT SAND. IT'S BLACK! It was crazy.

 The furthest we went on the Road to Hana- Hamoa Beach. The sand was like salt and pepper and the waves were the biggest ones we swam in while we were in Hawaii. We boogie boarded and it was SO much fun. Michael was reluctant to really get into it but once I got him in there, he loved it. After this we headed back and Michael vowed to never drive to Hana again... we both got a little carsick, ha.

 The boat on the left is the boat we took to Molokini to go snorkeling. This was my second favourite thing we did in Hawaii. It still blows my mind how incredibly clear the water was. Michael got really seasick and had to get out of the water. I for sure want to go back here someday.

 The cutest little shopping area.

 At our insanely expensive Luau - The Feast of Lele. WORTH IT! It was so romantic with some wonderful live music and the food was INCREDIBLE. So different than anything I've ever eaten with tons of tiny coarses. We got these beautiful leis and the entertainment was so fun and cultural.

 After being in Kihei for 4 nights, we loved just north of Lahaina. We stayed in a condo and the view was incredible. Our Lanai overlooked green grass, sand, and the ocean.

 I would sit out on here and read books and eat my breakfast... the sound of the ocean was so relaxing.

 Dragons Tooth. I love exploring with this guy.

 HOTTIE!

 We saw lots of turtles. Some were on our condo's beach, we saw them while exploring, and then we also swam with them when we snorkelled near some black rock at a beach. We were like 1 foot away from the turtle in the water.