KAUAI Day 5

On Wednesday we headed down to the southern side of the island. We spent most of the morning and afternoon at the Waimea Canyon. I've seen pictures, but I don't think any pictures can truly do justice to this amazing natural wonder. It's been called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii, and it was breathtaking.
It was a bit of a bummer that it was overcast and cloudy- you couldn't see everything as clearly, but it was still amazing and well worth the trip! We were able to drive up and all around the canyon- there were stops all over the place to see different parts of the canyon.

This is what the canyon looks like when it's not completely covered in clouds- gorgeous!

I loved the main views of the canyon, but we also loved the beautiful views of the Napali Coast. You really could just stand there for hours taking everything in. The colors themselves were captivating. We also stopped at a little museum/shop along the way, it was fun to do some reading about everything- and nice that we could actually stand there and read everything! Usually I'm chasing kids around...

Nepali coast

There's a reason for the constant clouds- Mt Waialeale is one of the wettest spots on earth, receiving an average of about 450 inches of rain per year!

When we finally made it back down the canyon, we decided to go a little further along and go explore the 'Barking Sands' beach. It's a 17-miles stretch of beach that goes right up to the cliffs of the Nepali coast. You have to take this crazy, bumpy, 4x4 only, dirt road for a while- we were glad we had opted for the jeep! It's pretty much a private beach- it's out all by itself and so big that we only saw a couple people during our whole time there. It was fun to walk along the beach, then go exploring and rock-hopping around the coast. We even managed to find a seal that was sunbathing among the rocks. He was camouflaged so well I could have almost stepped on him if I hadn't noticed his bright tag.



When we were coming back we saw the most amazing rainbow- a complete rainbow that was so bright. We decided to stop at some waterfalls on the way home- it took us a little while to find Kipu falls, but eventually we found the little path and trail that led to a really cool waterfall. It's a pretty popular destination for jumping off and swimming. We planned on going back with the Formans because it's one of their favorite spots, but sadly we were busy enough, we didn't make it back. We didn't jump & swim right then because it was getting dark, but it was still really cool to see.


We stopped for a quick dinner, then made it back to the condo about 9pm where we met up with Dean, Linda, Daniel & Joseph who had flown in that afternoon. It was so fun to see them again and we were excited to be able to spend some time with them.

KAUAI Days 3&4

On Monday we picked up some boogie boards, snorkeling equipment and went to try out some of the beaches. First we went to Hanalei Bay for some boogie boarding. It was great! The waves were pretty big and we had a blast boogie boarding together. Sadly, we don't have any pictures from Monday. While boogie boarding, we learned that our 'waterproof' camera actually wasn't so waterproof. I make sure to upload pictures every night, just in case something like that ever happened. We did loose a couple pictures from that morning, and weren't able to take any more pictures that day, but it actually ended up being a good thing!

We were able to return the camera to Costco and got a different point-and-shoot camera that I have LOVED. The 'waterproof' camera was ok, but I wasn't very impressed with the quality of the pictures. The camera we ended up getting instead (Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7) is awesome! You can definitely tell a difference in the photos- the photo quality is excellent. All the great pictures from this trip were taken with that little point & shoot camera. The photos are good enough I don't even have to edit them if I don't want to. It also takes great HD movies. It was a little more than the other camera, but it's been worth every penny. If you're looking for a new point and shoot camera, I definitely recommend this one! (Note: I did notice that on Amazon this baby sells for $389. We definitely didn't pay that- we got ours at Costco for $229)
After boogie boarding at Hanalei we stopped at Costco to get the new camera, and eat our picnic lunch. We stopped at the Menehune Ponds, and then headed to Poipu Beach to do some more boogie boarding. Actually for Jeff to do some boogie boarding, the waves were HUGE that day. After watching many of the locals get pounded, I decided I would enjoy the sun and sand and just watch. Definitely a good choice. There was also a nice little hike up to a cliff that overlooked the beach, it was so cool to watch the waves pound against the rocks.
Tuesday was Jeff's 34th birthday! We've decided Hawaii is a great place to celebrate birthdays! We left early that morning to get some breakfast and then try out some more beaches. There are tons of beaches all over Kauai! Our first stop was to Tunnels beach where we were hoping to do some snorkeling. Unfortunately the waves were still pretty big, so snorkeling was out, but we still enjoyed the water.
Tunnels beach is the place where part of 'South Pacific' was filmed, and many people probably recognize the 'Bali Hai' peak in the background. It was a beautiful beach. We enjoyed taking a long walk down the shore collecting shells, coral, and just enjoying the beautiful scenery. Kauai is one of the least commercialized islands so it was never very crowded. In fact, most of the time we were pretty much to ourselves. It was awesome!



That afternoon we stopped at a quaint little farmers market. It was fun to visit with some of the local vendors and try out all sorts of new, interesting fruit-some better than others. We picked up a few items, but mainly just enjoyed the atmosphere. It was fun to watch all the people. We also stopped at Anini Beach on Tuesday afternoon and were finally able to get in some snorkeling. It's been long enough that I start to hyperventilate when I first put my face in the water, but I got used to it and we had fun looking at the beautiful fish and sea animals.

Tuesday night partially to celebrate Jeff's birthday, we went to a dinner/Luau. It was fun to learn that it was actually a family from the branch we had attended on Sunday that did the luau. They even did a special 'happy birthday' number for Jeff. The food was great and the entertainment was amazing! Our favorite definitely had to be the fire dances . It was a great evening.

KAUAI Days 1&2

Once we knew we would be moving and starting a new job in May, Jeff and I thought it would be fun to take a trip while we had the chance. As it worked out, Jeff's uncle learned we were planning a trip during April. He told us they had an open timeshare in Kauai, Hawaii and asked if we'd be interested. What?! Not much of a decision there. So we flew to Kauai, on Saturday April 9th and had a fantastic nine-day vacation! In almost 9 years of marriage we've done little things here & there together, but we've really never had a dream vacation for just the two of us- even our honeymoon was a cross country drive to get to medical school. So we were pretty excited!

Saturday we left at 6am, and after many hours of flying, arrived in Kauai about 1:30pm. It was so amazing to be there. Even the smell in the air is wonderful. I was so happy to finally be warm! I feel like I've been cold for the past 6 months, so I loved being able to just soak in the sun.

After we arrived, we picked up our rental car. We just rented a basic economy car, but the lady at the desk tried to get us to upgrade to a jeep for just $15 more a day. I didn't want to spend extra, so we said no. Then she said she'd do it for $11, which we also declined. Then when we went out to the lot to get the car, the guy told us they had too many jeeps on the lot and gave us one for the same price, it was great!

We spent the rest of the day getting groceries, getting checked in to our condo, etc. It was just amazing to drive around and see the beautiful island.

We had a beautiful condo in Princeville, at the northern side of the island. We really liked the area and you couldn't beat the beautiful view from off the back porch. It was my favorite place to eat meals, just watching the waves come in. I think 'Paradise' pretty much sums up this view!
Sunday morning we enjoyed church at the little branch in Hanalei. It was a great meeting, and fun to get to know some of the local families. I loved the chapel, especially the pretty blue roof.

Looking out over the Hanalei Valley

We also learned that there would be a fireside that evening at the stake center. When we learned that Russell M. Nelson was the speaker, we were pretty excited. It was an amazing fireside. I probably should have, but I did manage to get one picture (no sounds/no flash/no one even knew). You can see Elder Nelson at the pulpit. It was such an uplifting, wonderful night and a perfect way to start off the vacation.

Grateful

Jeff and I were lucky enough to get the chance to take a little trip for just the two of us to Kauai, Hawaii this month. The only way it worked, was because of our wonderful parents & family who were so kind and willing to take care of our children for us while we were gone for 9 days. We're so grateful for everything they did. Coming back and listening to the stories the kids had to share, it sounds like they had as much fun as we did! They got to see and pet horses, go fishing, feed ducks, have campfires & make s'mores, have picnic lunches, read stories, have movie nights, play games, play with cousins, go on walks, go to the zoo, and just enjoy being with their wonderful family. I have some pictures, and I'll be getting some more fun pictures that Mom & Dad Stevens took from all their fun adventures. I can't wait! More than anything, we were so grateful for our family being so happy and willing to take such great care of our kids while we were gone. It really meant the world to us.

This one is my favorite!

Week with Family

I left on Sunday to get back to our kids. Jeff had some work things he needed to take care of, then he got back late Monday night. He ended up having to work another day this week, but for the most part, we spent the week enjoying family.

Monday, the kids and I spent most of the day with Aunt Amanda and cousins. We played, had dinner, and enjoyed a wonderful family home evening lesson from Danielle. I love it when the kids get to play. They have so much fun together. I think our kids are so lucky to have so many cousins close in ages. Jacob & Eliza are 16 days apart, Caleb & Tommy are 7.5 months apart, and Matthew & Gideon are exactly 2 weeks apart. The kids have a blast with all their cousins. I only wish we were closer so we could get together more often.

On Tuesday, Amanda and I were able to fit in a run together while sweet Grandma Stevens took some of the kids to 'Tangled'. Talk about superwoman! The kids had a lot of fun together.

That night, Mom Stevens did a special early birthday dinner for Jeff. Gina & kids came into town, and Greg and Amy made it over as well. The dinner was wonderful and we finished off the night with an amazing strawberry short cake with homemade whipped cream. We definitely need to celebrate more birthdays with Mom! Everyone enjoyed visiting together and playing games to finish off the night.

Our New Home

At the beginning of April right after Jeff's big exam, Jeff and I flew out to see if we could find a new home. We'd been looking online for months, creating lists, and it was time to cram as much house-hunting into a couple of days as we possibly could. Part of the reason we were rushing was because we had been able to lock in a great rate on a loan & wouldn't have extra fees if we started the process before April 17th. Our wonderful parents took turns with our kids so we could spare them the experience.

We flew in at 2pm on Friday afternoon and spent the rest of the day until about 7pm looking at homes with our realtor. Then we went out again together just to drive by other homes and look at the area until about 10pm. Saturday morning we started at 9am and went again until about 7pm. We didn't eat dinner until about 9:30 that night. I was really feeling grateful we didn't have the kids with us!

This is usually how it looked when we had a break for lunch. We were exhausted!

I did convince Jeff into trying out the pool and jacuzzi one night at about 11pm- trying to add in a 'vacation' aspect to the otherwise busy trip. Next time I just need to remember to bring some flip-flops, I think the swimwear with sling-back heels was a little tacky. :)

It wasn't as easy to choose as house as I thought it would be- we don't consider ourselves very picky people- there are a few things that are important to us(yard size, schools, good layout) but we really had a hard time finding something we loved within the price range we wanted. Even on Saturday afternoon we were both feeling a little discouraged. We finally found a couple homes that we liked late Saturday. We made our decision to put an offer on one of the homes on Sunday morning right before I was supposed to fly back home. Talk about last minute!

Monday morning, the offer was submitted. We countered back and forth for a couple days. Then we found another home that came up on the marker & were considering putting an offer on that one instead. The first home had been on the market for a year, so when the sellers learned we were interested in another home, they immediately came back and accepted the offer. I was glad to be done with that! It seems so exciting to finally own our own home!

We should be closing on the home at the end of April. Our lender let us know that the appraisal was completed, and the home appraised for $10,000 more than the selling price- apparently in his words we got a 'screaming deal'. That always makes you happy!

The home has 4 bedrooms, plus an office, and 3 baths. It has 2400 square feet, and an unfinished basement that hopefully we'll be able to finish sometime soon. I love the kitchen (dual ovens!) and I'm really happy with the neighborhood and school. It also has about .35 acres which should give plenty of room for kids to run around. There are little things we'll probably do here and there, but we're really excited about the new home and looking forward to hopefully being settled for a while in a house that we own!

We're right on the edge of a cul-de-sac. I'm happy about that, and I'm sure the kids will take good advantage of it with their bikes!

Entryway

Formal Dining

Office

Family Room

Formal Living Room

Part of the unfinished basement- I can just see the big wheels going now!

COME AND VISIT US!