Trip to Maui

For our Christmas present to each other Matt and I took a 3 day trip to Maui. We got some quality alone time and to visit with his mom and sisters.

Maui No Ka Oi

The first day we were sooo tired from the bbq the day before and an early flight. We could not check into our hotel right away so we drove around (I rented a car), had lunch at Maui Tacos, and did errands.

The shores of Waiehu- my old stomping/surf ground
Iao stream

Mmm the vegetarian Paia burrito. Maui Tacos uses biodegradable utensils!

After checking in at the Maui Beach Hotel and taking a quick nap, we met his mom and sister in Paia for some Christmas shopping.

Matt with his new sunglasses and me with my new earrings

The next day we had a huge breakfast at Fran's Island Grill in Wailuku and drove out to Makena to visit Big Beach. It was a little cloudy so we decided to check out the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium.

We had dinner that night at Da Kitchen with his family. It made me happy to see Matt reunited with his mom and sisters. We only live one island away but months go by without them seeing each other. That's what is special about this time of year- we make time for our family and make new memories.

Mom Monica, Maya, Matt, and Jade. His other sister, Shannon, lives in Oahu.

On our last day we checked out of the hotel and went up to Makawao for breakfast and my good friend Akari joined us with Grandma. She is the other reason I wanted to take a trip to Maui and although we had a short meeting, it was valuable. She is such a special person and I feel like every time I am with her I am awed by her amazing energy and loving spirit. She is one of my role models! 

We made it back to Oahu a little delayed and in traffic but we were welcomed by this huge, beautiful rainbow.
We had such a nice trip and were so lucky to have been able to take the time to slow down in the holiday rush and appreciate the beauty around us. It was a perfect start to the holidays especially since Matt and I will be apart for a few weeks while I travel. I think we will both try to make this happen again!