Maui (Merry) Christmas

It didn't really feel like Christmas this year, (we're in Maui--oh darn) but Doug and I certainly made the most of it. On the 23rd Doug and I had a homemade Italian dinner at our friend Rob's house with him and his gram. Let me tell you- Wine, Italian food, great conversation, and the sound of the ocean is a fabulous combination. Doug and I spent Christmas Eve hanging out on the beach eating banana cream pie ( It was so rich I don't think I can ever eat pie again) that we bought from a store on the side of the road called Leoda's. 

Later that evening we decided to find a Christmas service to go to. We found a church not too far away and put together what decent clothes we had left to wear (we seriously needed to do laundry). The service actually turned out to be a wonderful experience. It was an outdoor service with a younger crowd and we felt super welcome. Plus the music was really great. I think it made both of us miss being home with our families, however it did make it feel more like Christmas time. The best part was when they sang Silent Night during the service and half way through started singing the song in Hawaiian. I didn't understand any of it but the language was beautiful.

We ended the night by going back to our favorite beach spot and ate some ramen noodles before falling asleep in our explorer (of which the breaks are slowly going out of--could be because we drove it up and then down the side of a volcanoe-oops!) 

Christmas Day consisted of what it usually does: food, games, and napping except the weather was beautiful. We got super lucky because a friend of ours named Katrina invited us to a Christmas breakfast at the Ritz Carlton Hotel--- fancy shmancy! 

That breakfast was probably the most elaborate meal I have ever eaten. For one, I ate strawberry lavender stuffed French toast with coconut syrup; I did not even know that existed! There were omlets, fruits, bacon, banana macadamia nut pancakes, all kinds of breads and cheeses and tons of other options. I was absolutely stuffed and then our waiter brought out eggs-Benedict and fresh churros...amazing. Not to mention we also had bloody Marys and watermelon-mint juice (what?!?)... I don't think I've ever eaten so much food in one sitting, ever. I had to laugh because there are all these beautifully dressed women      (obviously watching their figures) eating only scrambled eggs and fruit with tea and I sat there just absolutely stuffing my face. Little did they know I ate ramen noodles for my Christmas Eve meal (of course I'm going to indulge). I don't think Doug or I ate anything else the rest of the day. We were so full and so happy! 

The 26th and 27th we spent visiting a few beaches and scuba diving. I finished my diving with Sammy and passed my test- officially scuba certified!! The dives were great and we saw all kinds of fish  and turtles. Doug got a crazy cool picture with a fish that had massive teeth. 

We also finally got to do our laundry at a local laundry mat where we played farkle while we waited ( we have become slightly obsessed and over competative at this game).  

Our days in Maui have been wonderful. We definitely started our trip off in the right location with the perfect people.  :) 

-Having the best time with the best views. 

Wave of Emotion

Funny story..... 

So the other day Doug and I again decided to camp on the beach. We set up our tent on the sand fairly close to our car, made some ravioli, crashed in our sleeping bags because it was a little chilly/windy and went to sleep.... Then came 3:30am.... 

"Lyd! Get up!"-- Doug yells this and I open my eyes only to feel water slamming into the side of our tent and underneath of where we were sleeping. 

My initial thought- "Oh my God we are in the ocean!!!" 

So what do I do? I take a big breath and hold it! 

Then I realized Doug had gotten out of the tent and was taking our things back to the car! 

My next thought--"okay we aren't in the ocean, a wave just hit us (my bad)" I let out my breath and then have a minor panic attack ( Doug thought I was going to faint!) I'm telling you- it was like a scene straight out of a bad soap opera... 

So as Doug is rushing to get things back in the car and preparing to move our tent I look for our flip flops that were sitting right outside of our tent the night before...  Much to my dismay I did not see them. 

So in a very winey voice I yell "Doug IT took our sshhhoooeeess!" (As I run to the ocean with open arms to look for them---like I was actually going to find them)   

Luckily Doug found them and we were able to move our tent up further where the tide wouldn't get to it. 

I know we probably sound like idiots but we had our tent set up quite a distance away from the shoreline. Later on we learned that a big swell had come in that night and that the same thing had happened to a few of our camping neighbors. We also learned that apparently I am VERY dramatic at 3:30 in the morning! --- definitely a story I will tell my kids someday! 

Side note: Doug and I want to wish a massive congratulations to my brother Logan and soon to be sister-in-law Kelsea Boleyn on their engagement! Such awesome news!! 

Going Commando!

Doug and I have done so many things the last few days. I started the first half of my scuba certification with a guy named Sammy, who actually turned out to be from Cleveland, Ohio. Scuba diving was an experience! I'm not exactly the best swimmer ( I almost drowned in a Kalahari wave pool one time.....I was like 16 😔), but I got the hang of it and I got to see a turtle that was as big as my body and probably as old as Rob's gram (again she's 104!)

Doug and I also decided to get crazy and drive around the head of Maui. We are driving a Ford Explorer, which is a decently sized car. However, the road around the head of Maui--not a decently sized road. I swear every 10 feet there was either a sign that said "Falling Rocks," "No Shoulder," or my personal favorite "Narrow Winding Road," which by the way is a complete understatement. 

Multiple times I thought we were going to either hit a biker or go right off the edge. Aside from being a bit scary, the views from the road were SO beautiful. There were places to stop along the way, one of which I absolutely loved called "the olivine pools" where we swam in pools of water basically in the cliffs right beside the ocean. Waves crash against the sides of the pools as your swimming and mist you with salty ocean water.  

It's one of those things you have to see and do to appreciate how amazing it is. So I apologize if I did a cruddy job explaining. 

Also in the last couple days Doug and I drove/hiked to the top of Haleakala with friends to watch the sunrise.

We were 10,000 feet up, so we were freezing, but it was well worth it. We took pictures, but they don't do its beauty justice. 

My favorite part of this last week is when Doug, Rob, and I went commando! Okay, we didn't really go commando, but we did do the commando hike. This hike pushed me- physically and mentally. If  you want to test your confidence in yourself or your faith in God for that matter-you go do the commando hike. We started off by hiking up a river filled with all sizes of rocks for a little over a mile. And when I say hike- I mean fall every two steps, smack your shins on rough edges of rocks and cut up your feet and kneecaps. Then come the vines! We climbed from vine to vine constantly stretching and slipping to reach the next. You seriously try not to fall because if you do you're gonna land on straight up rocks. 

Next up is a waterfall you have to climb up. This is where I admit- I got a little scared. Okay...I was terrified. We climbed up the waterfall-in the actual waterfall. Water smacks you in the face and if you fall- good luck getting back to your car. 

We climbed a few waterfalls in all but none were as bad as the first. Next up- more vines and then come the caves. We hiked, swam, and did a bit of rock climbing through pitch black caves with only a small flashlight. This was for at least a mile. Finally after what seemed like forever, we finished the hike by climbing through what looked like a sewer gate to end up at a beautiful waterfall. 

The commando hike was a great experience. It sucked, it terrified me, and it gave me a lot of bruises, but I would do it again in a heart beat! Also, at the end of commando we saw a guy with his friends who actually did commando ... commando. Super funny, because he freaked with embarrassment and screamed for his friends to throw him his board-shorts. All in all commando and the last week or so in Maui have been very memorable times. 

The Road to Hana

• Day three in Maui consisted of Doug and I traveling the Road to Hana, but before I get to that I'll fill ya in on the first couple days: airport lost our bags so we each got comped $100.00 to stay in a hotel that night, rented a car from Rudi- an awesome guy from the Czech Republic, met up with Rob Lucas- a friend of ours who owns "Let me Show You Maui," and we hung out at the beach. Also on day 2 we went to dinner with Rob, his girlfriend and his gram. Mind you, his gram is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met- the woman is 104 years old and a firecracker at that. With her thick New York accent and fiesty attitude you can't help but love her.... Okay back to The Road to Hana...
• After a night of camping on the beach Rob and a friend of his, who happens to be a very cool singer/songwriter, picked us up in his black jeep. Our first stop was an organic goat farm, then a winery where we ate the weirdest looking cherries. Next we drove for a while and enjoyed the views, each taking our turn at standing up in the front seat of the jeep because let's face it the views are 10x better when you have the ocean breeze in your face and you're a little bit scared your gonna fall out of the car. 
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• Continuing on we stopped at a waterfall that blew my mind. Swimming in the pool beneath it was freezing, but awesome. We also swam behind it and Doug got some pretty sweet video with his Go-Pro.
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• ...along the way we stopped and ate fruit  I've never tried before: cacao (white jelly with a nut in it that tastes like chocolate), ice cream bananas (super creamy), and lilicois (Orange jelly-like substance with black seeds-I'm addicted to these). On the Road to Hana we saw black, red, and white sand beaches and swam in fresh, spring, and salt water. Rob was the best and craziest guide- the man is a blonde/haired, blue-eyed, Italian New Yorker, and he will jump off of anything. He took us splunking and diving in water caves. We did so much in one day and saw the most incredible views. Being on an island trips your mind up a bit, but so far Maui has been beautiful and we have loved it.