INTO THE WOODS

Background: In November Lance applied to be 1 of 10 Dermatology residents to attend and present research at a Dermatology Conference in Hawaii. Shortly after Thanksgiving, we found out that he had won! We were both so excited! I, however, was crushed when my husband put his foot down and insisted that we leave our little guy at home with Grandma and Grandpa Martin (and Tuya). After much discussion, I realized that my hubby wouldn't budge, and I reluctantly agreed. However, I did cry for 30 (plus) minutes after he booked our 2 flights. (My poor husband!)

Although the trip started off a little emotionally draining (thanks solely to me), we managed to have an amazing trip that neither of us will ever forget. It was our very favorite vacation ever! And yes, Lance was right. Although we (meaning mainly me) missed Sawyer so much, it was wonderful for us to have some Lance and Amber time again.

So I am going to attempt to journal our trip. Yes, it will be really long with a lot of pictures but I just don't want to forget anything about it.

Trip to Hawaii (The Big Island) January 13-21, 2011

January 13, 2011
Thursday-Day 1

We flew out of Harrisburg at 10:50 AM--first to DC, then to San Francisco, and we finally arrived at Kona, Hawaii around 11:30 PM (Hawaiian time). We rented our car from Sharlaine from Avis and got to The Kona Seaside Hotel around 12:30 AM the next day. I probably should mention that I cried a lot that day because I missed my little man! Let's just say my husband and all the passerbys at the airport were very worried. :)

January 14, 2011
Friday-Day 2

Although we didn't get to sleep til after 1 am Hawaiian time (6 AM EST), we woke up at 7 AM! We started the day off by eating breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel. It was an open air restaurant (everything in Hawaii is like that. No windows needed!) and had an ocean view. We sat at the most perfect table and had the most perfect breakfast where we tried fresh papaya for the first time. And yes, we loved it! With that view and the perfect weather, I felt very much like a fairytale princess sitting there--especially when a couple birds flew right up to me and one sat on the ledge right next to the table, singing to me. No Joke! And I thought that only happened in movies!

Here's the fairytale breakfast.

After walking around Kona for about an hour, we checked out of our hotel and started our journey of looping the whole island. The scenery was diverse and amazing. We saw a lot of lava fields.

There were also beautiful green pastures with cows and sheep. I like to call this one "the solitary steak" Ha, just kidding!

Then we went to the southernmost tip of the island which is ironically the southernmost tip of the United States--cool huh? We felt like we were driving off the edge of the earth.

It was sure lovely down there.

Here's Lance looking good at the southernmost tip of the island.

Then we decided to try and find the Green Sand Beach that a friend from work had told Lance about. He said that it was a short walk from the tip of the island so we figured it would be about a mile or two. Well this friend happened to be a marathon runner, so I'm not quite sure what we were thinking, but we headed off to find it (with 1 water bottle). After hiking approximately 2 miles in 80 degree weather we saw a fisherman and asked him about the beach. He told us that it was still awhile away and we should walk back to our car and park in a different parking lot. Then it would be only 2-3 more miles to walk from there. So we walked back to our car, parked in the said lot and headed on our way. After walking another mile and a half or so, we saw another man and asked him. He laughed and said that we had about 3 more miles to go. We must have made some funny faces because he said that he was going that way and could get us within a mile. We gratefully climbed into his beat up SUV and headed on the most bumpy roads that I have ever driven on. It turns out that this sweet Hawaiian man had been diving for octopus that he was going to make for a friend's luau. We learned a lot about Hawaiian culture from him. Like for example, you need at least 2 bottles of water per person when you hike to the green sand beach. Gulp! Whoops! Well needless to say we did make it to the green sand beach. However, for all of the trouble the sand didn't really seem all that green to us.

After meeting a couple from Wisconsin, I got up the nerve to ask them if they had an extra water bottle that we could buy. That's actually quite an awkward thing to do, FYI. Luckily for us they had extra water so we headed back the 5 plus miles toward our car. And after only about a mile or so, a couple in a jeep asked us if we wanted a ride. We immediately accepted and made some new friends from Seattle. We started talking about the Twilight books and before you know it, he had scraped and got the bottom of the car stuck on a big rock. It was terrifying. He ended up getting the jeep out and all was well, but honestly, I think that Lance and I may have jinxed them. But all in all, we saw the green sand beach! We thought it would take about an hour and it took about 4, but we saw the green sand beach!

Next we ate at the Hana Hou, the southernmost restaurant in the USA. We had the one of the best burgers we've ever had and shared a piece of macadamia nut cream pie. It was a spectacular lunch!

Then we stopped at Punalu'u Beach, a well known black sand beach.

The sand was so black!

And there were green sea turtles or "honu" all over the beach.

We want to go back there someday when we have more time to spend there. It was a little overcast, but still beautiful.

Our original plan was to stop at Volcanoes National Park on the way up the coast, but unfortunately since the pseudo-green sand beach took a little (a lot) longer than we expected, we decided to do it another day. So we arrived at the Mauna Lani Resort that evening in time for Lance to check in and to get ready to go to the welcome reception.

First of all, I cannot say enough about this resort. It was by far the nicest place I have ever stayed! The second we walked to the entrance we were greeted with a very sincere seeming "Aloha. Welcome to the Mauna Lani." They put a beautiful lei made from orchids around our necks, took our luggage up to our room, and brought us guava juice (I still have no idea what that is, but I love it), and damp towels. Lance and I looked at each other like, "What do we do with these?" I had never felt so pampered!

Here's me loving my lei!

January 15, 2011

Saturday--Day 3

We woke up around 6AM and got ready to go to our complimentary breakfast. It was a wonderful buffet that we were able to eat every day. Among other yummy things like eggs, bacon, ham, and potatoes, there were bagels, cereal, fresh fruit and juices. Yes, every morning I had a little bit of eggs and bacon and filled the rest of my plate with pineapple and papaya. I also had guava juice every morning! Then as Lance went to his meetings, I would get a hot chocolate (it was in the low 70's in the early AM and late PM), and call my Marm (Sawyer) as I'd stroll along the beach. Here is a little taste of our resort.

The entrance

The Lobby

The Grounds

Our matching Mauna Lani robes and slippers. How romantical!

Our balcony

We had a plumeria tree right outside. It was so beautiful and smelled amazing! I wrote my postcards sitting at the table on my balcony smelling that plumeria scent.

Here's a close-up of my plumeria tree.

I fell in love with them. They are now one of my favorite flowers.

They had so many beautiful flowers there.

So while Lance was in meetings, I attended a complimentary fish pond tour, where I learned all about the animals in the ponds at the Mauna Lani. It was really informative and I loved it. They had everything from tropical fish, a stingray, sharks, to green sea turtles(Honu). Lance met us at the end of the tour in time to feed these fish.

It was so fun to feel those fishy lips touch your hand.

After that, we took some pictures of us at the resort.

We also explored the surrounding area, got some lunch, and looked at some local shops. Then we went snorkeling that day and saw more honu where we were swimming.

That night the conference provided a free dinner on the beach. We were able to sit by and talk with Loren and Jennie, two of Lance's attending physicians. We had a really fun time.

January 16, 2011
Sunday--Day 4

Sunday morning Lance went to his meetings like usual but left early so that we could go to church. The closest LDS church was about 30 minutes away in Waimea (the northern part of the island). We went to the Waimea 2nd ward at 11:30 and loved it!! The young people were clean and reverent and beautiful, the sacrament prayers were intimately spoken, and a sweet little Hawaiian lady talked about family history and her husband, a sealer in the Kona temple, talked about temples and touched both Lance and I with a story that he told. We left feeling so much peace. I wonder if Waimea needs a Mohs surgeon. . .

After church, we hurried back to the resort for a free luncheon for the residents who were accepted to present at the conference. It was at a beautiful restaurant on the beach of our resort called the Canoe House. Lance and I sat by an attending physician from South Carolina. It was good food and we had a good time.

After the lunch, we headed on our drive to see Mauna Kea, one of the inactive volcanoes in the middle of the island that has a summit of over 13,000 feet. There are enormous telescopes and observatories all over the summit. We knew we couldn't go to the top because we only had a little Nissan Versa, but we wanted to go to the visitors center at 9, 000 or so feet to see the sunset and stars through the telescopes there. We had to drive on Saddle Road to get to Mauna Kea. It was a twisting, wet, and foggy drive that included warning signs for feral donkeys and feral sheep. We actually saw a mountain goat/ram on the side of the road too. This made for a pretty interesting drive, but the scenery was sure beautiful.

If you look closely, you can see snow on top of the mountain on our drive up. Yep, snow in Hawaii!

When we got to the visitors center, we saw a truck that had gone up to the summit and filled its bed with snow. So yes, we saw a truck bed FULL of snow--in Hawaii!

Pretty crazy, huh? Although it was too foggy to see the sunset or a sky full of stars, we were able to look at the moon and one star with their awesome telescopes. We also watched a video about the telescopes at the summit. It was a fun and educational time. P.S. It was so cold up there!

January 17, 2011
Monday--Day 5

On Monday, Lance went to his morning meetings as usual and I went to a complimentary hula class. Yes, I wanted to learn to hula dance. And boy did I learn! Me and the other 10 CHILDREN that were there! :) Honestly, I wasn't the only adult there because the parents and grandparents of the children were there too. I didn't care. I had a great time! Our teacher was a darling little Hawaiian woman who was amazingly agile. We all had fun singing and dancing along with her ukulele playing!

After Lance's meetings, we spent some time at the beach even though it was closed due to high waves. This sign made me laugh so hard! I didn't see any waves quite like that! :)

Then we had lunch at a little cafe on the beach. It was so much fun. The kahlua pork sandwich was delicious, but my favorite part was my mango smoothie. It was absolutely amazing!!

That afternoon we went to a free cocktail hour (aka sprite with other residents) on the beach of a neighboring resort. The sprite was bubbly and the setting was lovely. After that we went to the fancy restaurant at our resort for dinner--well we went and looked at the menu and upon reading the prices, promptly decided to head back to the little cafe that we ate at earlier that day. Then we watched the waves and the sunset from a hammock on the beach.

P.S. I love hammocks!

We were also able to watch the Hawaiian torch lighting ceremony.

We thought that this was a pretty neat view.

Once it got dark, we headed to a free dessert reception where they fed us fancy little treats--my favorite being chocolate-covered pineapple and strawberries! Yes, it was a wonderful day!

January 18, 2011
Tuesday--Day 6

As Lance went to his meetings, I went on a Hawaiian historic tour with a knowledgeable Hawaiian man who seemed to know everything about our resort and Hawaii for that matter! I learned a lot about the area. It was also another beautiful day.

We saw some petroglyphs on the tour.

Then Lance and I walked around and took some fun pictures of the resort.

After our walk, we relaxed on the beach for a little while before our free BBQ lunch. It looked delicious, but honestly, I couldn't eat a whole lot because I was so nervous for Lance because his presentation was immediately after lunch. However, my anxiety was in vain. He got up there and gave an eloquent and phenomenal presentation! I was so proud! Unfortunately, he didn't win, but I personally think that those who voted had a little too much sun that day not to pick him. Strong work sweetie!

After his presentation was over we went back to the beach. It was so beautiful that we just stayed there and watched the sunset.

That evening there was a Luau Extravaganza with amazing food like steak, chicken and lobster (yes, I love meat) and a band. Yes, I said luau and band in the same sentence. Lance and I were little disappointed that our "luau" consisted of electric guitars and "Sweet Home Alabama," but the food was great and we had a good time talking with some new friends that we had made from Iowa.

They even had fireworks!

Later we left the "luau" and walked/danced on the beach and took some pictures of the moon and the resort. It was such a beautiful and memorable night.

January 19, 2011
Wednesday--Day 7

It was raining when we woke up (most likely because we had to leave the resort that day). After a sad goodbye, we checked out of the Mauna Lani and headed on a road trip around the island again--destination--Volcanoes National Park. We stopped in our beloved Waimea for lunch and after a fun long road trip made it to the park. The park was more amazing than I expected. We started by hiking on a short trail through a rainforest to get to the lava tubes--large tubes that previous lava flow had formed.

After walking through the lava tubes, we headed to the steam vents where heat from the volcano comes up through man made vents. Lance is dancing because the steam got hot really fast.

Then we went to see Kilauea--the active volcano.

Here's 2 Hotties (get it? Lance and the volcano!)

And we were so lucky because the visitors center at the park was offering a free Hawaiian Cultural show with hula dancers and ukulele playing that they only have the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Honestly, how lucky is that? Seeing as I was eager to see a hula dancer and we were robbed of any Hawaiian culture at our "luau," we stayed to watch it. I am so glad that we did!

After the show we went back to volcano to see it in the dark. It was so amazing to see it glowing.

Then we ate dinner at Lava Rock Cafe (how clever) and drove back to the Kona Seaside Hotel.

January 20, 2011
Thursday--Day 8

For our last day in Hawaii we went to the same restaurant for breakfast that we had gone to on our first day. Our table was taken, it was busier, and no birds came to sing to me, but it was still beautiful. After eating my papaya a little slower than usual to savor it, we headed to the Kona Temple. We had a wonderful time there and even met the temple president and matron. After talking to them, we found out that we had attended church at their ward in Waimea. How ironic.

Then we explored Kona, admired the ginormous trees, shopped, and went to a local farmer's market where we tried star fruit for the first time.

I saw this painting on a wall by the ocean and fell in love with it. A honu and plumeria petals--two of my favorite Hawaiian things!

Then we sat by the ocean and watched some surfers on the crashing waves and our last Hawaiian sunset.

It wasn't all that hard for us to come back though. Do you want to guess why? It might have something to do with what we'd left behind--two little somethings far better than even a magical place like Hawaii.

We left Hawaii around 9:50PM on Thursday. We flew from Kona, to San Francisco, to Seattle, got stuck in Chicago for an extra hour, and arrived at Harrisburg around 9:30PM on Friday the 21st. Our little Sawyer boy stayed up late to wait for us at the airport, and man, was it a fun reunion. Sawyer and I both survived being apart! But we were really glad to be together again. Although he had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa, he was giddy to have Ma and Da home! And he really liked the baby honu that we brought for him.