Last of Maui

Last day and home: Started out the day with a quick snorkel with the turtles in our bay. Breakfast was more white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes and fried rice from The Gazebo (take out from the back) and acai bowls from a place we saw by the nearest grocery store. Kari had been wanting an acai bowl, and these were amazing and beautiful. We drove in to Kaanapali to spend the day on the big beach. We walked all the way down to Black Rock. There were too many people for our liking, though, so we walked back to find a good place to play in the water. We got lunch and Hula Pie on our walk back before we set up camp on the beach. It was just the fuel we needed for our afternoon.  We tested out a couple spots until we found the best boogie boarding spot and ended up staying there for a couple hours. The waves were great! Such a good way to spend our last full day. 

We ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina for our last night and thoroughly enjoyed our meal and time with our family. We walked in the shops for last souvenirs and got gelato before we headed back to our condo. 

It was sad to say goodbye and to head back home. It was one of the best weeks ever. This was my FB post that last day. 

Last night and last morning. Time to head home. Sigh! God is so good and so gracious. One year ago Greg was recovering from 6 months of chemo, and we had just made it through the most difficult year of our lives. This has been an unforgettable week, laughing and making memories with our kids (the last big trip before Kari heads to college…but we won’t think about that right now). It’s been such a gift. Next up, hip replacement surgery for Greg in two weeks. His body is failing him. :) He didn’t let that pesky hip keep him from enjoying adventures this week, just suffered and did a little less boogie boarding. :) “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬

More Maui

Day 6: We got up early and drove to the other side of the island to go ziplining through the jungle. Everyone did well, even Greg who had to do a bunch walking and stairs on that bad hip. Surgery was scheduled for two weeks after our Maui trip, but Greg tried not to let pain keep him from doing things with us. He just had to do less and take more breaks. We all really enjoyed zipping over the jungle. 

We ate lunch at a wood-fired pizza place in a little town on that side of the island. We decided that area and coastline reminded us of Oregon. It was nice, but we were happy to go back to our sunny, sandy beach paradise in Napili. 

We stopped for another taste of shave ice in Lahaina on our way home and then went out to our beach for an evening swim. It was getting stormy and raining, and the waves were intense. We eventually made the kids get out of the water because it was starting to feel dangerous. Most people had gotten out and gone inside. Our Oregonian kids didn't care about the rain, though, and they were having fun in the wild waves. The strong undertow and powerful waves scared both Greg and me, though, so we pulled them out. The rain stopped after a bit, and we witnessed a beautiful sunset over the water.